A Change in the Winter Wind
by Dobby's.Sock
Summary: Naruto has returned to Konoha after a two years. During that time, Hinata, Sakura and Naruto have thought about their relationships. An emotional and romantic story. Plenty of fun and well written. NaruHina mainly with a dash of a few other pairings : .
1. He Has Returned

**A/N: Hi! This is the first chapter of my first fan fiction in a while now! (Oh, and my first Naruto fan fiction too). In regard to my background knowledge of Naruto, I have seen episodes 1-192 within the first series. I have just begun to watch Shippuden. Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoy this story about a winter's week in Konoha, just after Naruto returns from his training period with Jiraya. **

A Change in the Winter Wind

_Chapter One: He Has Returned _

A ray of soft, early morning light struck the shoji screens of the grand residence and crept soundlessly beneath the quilt where a fifteen year old girl had promptly hidden herself, hoping in desperation to sleep through the entirety of the day. _It may just be possible_, she thought to herself as she closed her eyes tightly against the red glow of the sunlight. After all, if she had fallen asleep last night, she knew it would only have been for a few minutes at a time. The girl lay there for a while longer, trying to fend off the rays of sunlight attempting to infiltrate her hiding place; and trying not to think about anything, despite the fact that her mind was racing at a painfully fast pace. _No_, she told herself as footsteps sounded in the hall. _No_, she begged herself as the morning sunlight beamed down onto her quilt.

"No!" she spoke aloud as sweat ran down her face and her skin prickled underneath her heavy woollen cover.

Kicking at the heavy blanket, the girl managed to free herself from the heat of her bedclothes and push open the shoji screen that opened onto the exterior walkway of the residence. The cold air bit at her pallid skin as she breathed in deeply, water droplets forming at the end of her nose as her warm breath met the freezing winter air. This was the first time in several days that she had allowed for fresh air to flow through her sleeping quarters, and for the stale and sickly smelling air to leave. Looking down at herself, she realised that she had not bathed in several days; and one stroke of her hair revealed that it needed washing. Leaving the shoji screen opened, she stepped carefully over a pile of clean clothing and stared indifferently at her calendar. Slowly, she bent down and picked up a pencil on the floor beneath the calendar and raised it to 'January 16', making a cross in the box below the number. She let the pencil fall to the floor and went to sit on her bed, her face expressionless. _Temp, temp, temp…_Someone was travelling along the exterior walkway. Jumping up, she bounded to the screen door to close it. Just as she was about to push the door shut a hand placed itself upon the screen, preventing its closure. Peering around the edge of the screen, the girl found herself staring nervously into a pair of confused, clear grey eyes with no pupils. Letting out a small '_eep!_' the girl fastened her robe securely and peeled navy blue strands of hair off of her tear-stained face.

"Hinata-sama!"

"Neji-san!"

"Are you feeling well once again? Hiashi-sama informed me that you have been bedridden for the last few days," Neji questioned his cousin.

"Ah…I…I," Hinata stuttered, blushing slightly. She glanced over her shoulder at her calendar, feeling her stomach squirm uncomfortably.

"I…I feel as though I have a stomach virus, Neji-san. There is…no need to worry about me," Hinata finished hoarsely.

This was partly true; her stomach had been troubling her significantly. Her restricted breathing had been too. However Hinata was well aware that this had to do with the fact that her body had been overridden by her anxiety, and not a virus.

"Ah…well I hope that you are feeling better soon. Ah…I am sorry, but I need a spare bandage. Do you have one in here?"

"Oh…yes, let me just-"

Hinata fell to the ground in a heap, her legs giving away. _I'm weaker than I realised,_ she thought as she stared at the uneaten bowl of miso soup on her desk. Neji hurried over to help her into a more dignified position.

"Are your bandages in here?" he asked, gesturing towards her dishevelled backpack.

"Ah, yes, just a mome-"

"Please say sitting down. I can find them."

Sitting on the tatami flooring, Hinata tried her best to hold back the question that was burning on her tongue as she glanced at the calendar once more. Meanwhile, Neji had discovered two pictures of Naruto in Hinata's kunai and shuriken pouch and held them up to the light, squinting at the faded images._ Do not be afraid…ask the question._ As Hinata turned to Neji prepared to launch her query, she spotted him squinting at the two photographs. Launching herself across the room, she threw herself at the photographs and snatched them from his grip.

"Hinata-sama…" said Neji, clearly bewildered.

"I…I'm very sorry…I just…" Hinata spluttered.

"It is alright. You don't have to explain."

An awkward silence followed. After a period, Neji continued.

"Those photographs made me realise just how much we all must have grown over the past two years."

Now it was Hinata's turn to be bewildered.

"Neji-san…I don't understand…"

"Well, after seeing Naruto the other day…and then looking at these photographs, I realise how much he has changed."

Hinata's eyes widened, her throat dry.

"The…the other day?" she uttered softly. "But today…the sixteenth…that was the day I was told that Naruto-kun was arriving back!" Hinata exclaimed in a strangled, hysterical voice.

"Oh…well…there must have been a change in Jiraya-sama's original plan," replied Neji, slightly taken aback by Hinata's overreaction. Regaining composure he continued. "He has been back for at least three days now. Actually, he most likely arrived in Konoha on the day that you fell ill," finished Neji.

Hinata sighed sadly. "In that case, I suppose I do not have to ask you if Naruto-kun has returned…" Hinata spoke more to herself than to Neji.

"No…I guess that you don't." Neji replied smiling wryly. "Well then…I didn't find any bandages…but I may see you later on then."

"Ah, well…I…I don't know if I will venture outside," replied Hinata, her thoughts on Naruto. I am sorry to trouble you…" Hinata's voice faded away as Neji disappeared onto the exterior walkway.

Crawling over to her bed, Hinata climbed in and pulled the bed clothes over her head once more. It had been over two years since their last meeting. Was he still the same person? Was she still the same person? She didn't feel as though she had changed. She was still a burden to her proud family. _Are you going to give up now Hinata? _She asked herself. _No, because that is not my way of the ninja._

**A/N: I recommend this song to accompany this chapter: **_**Waiting**_** by BoA. If you are interested, you can listen to it on YouTube .. R****eviews appreciated!**


	2. The Room for Lease

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone for their positive response to chapter one. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who added this story to their favourites or put it on their story alert list. I will write the next chapter later today or tomorrow! Until then, I hope that you enjoy chapter two. **

_Chapter Two: The Room for Lease_

_He has changed_. That was the first thought that came to mind when she saw him, walking in through the main entrance gates into the Leaf Village. Even from a distance, she could see the uncharacteristic expression defining his facial features: it was a face of pure and unwavering determination. She made a note of the fact that he had grown taller and matured physically; however it was not his physical maturity that caused the strange, warm and cold pang in her chest; that intermingling feeling of melancholy, hope and happiness. She knew that that feeling was caused by their shared passion, their shared goal: to extract Sasuke from Orochimaru's powerful clutches; to bring Sasuke home. She felt awkward watching him talk to Jiraya. She decided that she would see him later on the in day; after all, she had something important to do. She wondered if it was selfish of her, not asking Naruto to accompany her on the task she was about to embark upon; she knew that he would have liked to. However she felt that she wanted to complete this task on her own; she needed to think about the past and once and for all decide on her position when it came to Sasuke.

So deeply absorbed in her thoughts, Sakura had reached the door of Sasuke's previous lodgings before she even had time to register where she was. Lady Tsunade had asked her if she wished to clear the rest of Sasuke's belongings from his former residence before the apartment was leased. At first she had protested, how did anyone know that Sasuke wouldn't decide to come back tomorrow, or in a few day's or week's time? She said this, but in her heart she knew that he wouldn't be returning back out of sheer will. And even if she set out with Naruto tomorrow to find him, it wasn't going to be a procedure that consumed only a few days. Despite her protests, it hadn't taken long for her to admit to Tsunade that she longed for the opportunity to be in touch with something of Sasuke's once again. Well, not in those exact words; but that was the way that she was feeling. As she moved her hand over his kitchen counter top and drank from a dusty glass on his dish drying rack, as she lay on his pillow in his bed, wrapping a strand of black hair around her finger, she was in touch with Sasuke again; or who and what Sasuke used to be. What would happen if he walked through the door right now? Would she still want him to hold her in his arms? _Yes._ She knew that the honest answer was yes. But yet, now her reasons for loving him were not as clear as they were two years ago. She no longer knew who or what he was. She could no longer see a clear reason why she felt the way that she did about him. She had admired his determination, his abilities and his appearance; but was there anything else that had made him the person that she had chosen to care so deeply for? He was a paradoxical person, intensely passionate and dispassionate for life simultaneously. He could be icily cold and spiteful, but he could also put his life in danger for the sake of a friend. Sakura sighed as she lifted herself off of the dusty blankets and made her way over to Sasuke's desk. To the twelve and thirteen-year-old Sakura, Sasuke's negative traits had been as translucent as a pane of glass, and his positive traits had been as opaque as a wall of steel. Sakura bent over the desk and blew the dust away from a small picture frame. Picking up the cold metal frame in her sweaty hands, Sakura turned the frame over to see the picture, covered in a thick layer of dust. Her warm breath condensed on the glass in the cold winter air, enabling her to remove the dust on the frame with ease. Her heart began to beat faster as she unearthed the picture of team seven. Tears welled in her eyes and she brushed them away harshly._ I promised myself that I wouldn't cry. _She gazed at the clearly displeased Sasuke, and then at the joyful young faces of Naruto and herself. _Naruto._ He had always regarded Sakura romantically. He had always been friendly and willing to help her, he had always tried to protect her with all of his strength. She recalled the incident when Sasuke had informed her of the fact that it had not been his strength that had saved her from Gaara, but Naruto's immense efforts. Why did she treat him so poorly when he was suffering alone? Why did she ignore his relentless efforts to be kind and helpful? _Why was I so horrible?_ She squeezed she picture frame tightly, her immense strength causing the glass to break. Maybe she could talk to Naruto about this, express her feelings and apologise to him for her ignorance. Did he still feel the way he did two years ago about her? Could she ever grow to love Naruto in the way that she loved Sasuke? Now she couldn't stop the tears from cascading down her face and onto the broken glass. They were tears of anger and frustration, of longing and regret. _And yet, despite all of this, I love him! Why? _

"I want to stop!" Her loud, strangled voice rent through the air in the silent room. "I don't want to love you anymore! I want to stop!"

Sakura collapsed onto Sasuke's untidy bed once more, grasping his quilt cover as though it might turn into its owner.


	3. Together Again

**A/N: I have been watching a lot of Naruto: Shippuden recently and I have to say that I am finding it to be amazing! I truly love it! I even cried during the Episode 29-30 special TT…Also, if anyone has not seen episodes 32-33, they are hilarious! **

**Before you read**** this chapter, I would like to let you know of a few details:**

**-At one stage you will have to use your imagination in regard to typical anime facial expressions.**

**-The other two details are listed at the end of the chapter, so as to prevent some form of spoiler.**

_Chapter Three: Together Again_

It was amazing how great it felt to be in Konoha. As he walked through the town for the first time in two years he felt as though he was experiencing everything afresh once again. The familiar sights, sounds and smells caused a tingling sensation to run up and down his spine and a familiar, warm feeling to spread throughout his body. The warm yellow light seeping out onto the street through the misty glass window panes of the stores, the steam rising from the chimneys of the many compacted homes, the smell of cooking monja wafting on the cold breeze: this was his home. The only part of his life in Konoha that he had not yet come into contact with was his relationships. He had not recognised a single soul as he traipsed through the snow blanketing the dirt lanes of the village. However it was not long before he spotted something that caused a pang of anxiety in his chest: a light pink head was bobbing up and down behind a gate on the opposite side of the road. He gulped. Was it her? It was not until he had approached the gate that he realised that he was standing outside her home. And he could now see that the head belonged to Sakura's mother who had been cleaning a rug in their small courtyard. He sighed in relief and continued to walk along the street until he reached a small shrine. He climbed inside and settled down in the warm and cramped space to think, the presence of incense heavy in the air. He had thought about Sakura quite often while he was training with Jiraya. He remembered her promise to study vigilantly and equal his own ability and strength as a shinobi. He was very curious as to whether or not this had occurred. He knew that she had been studying under Tsunade-obaachan; therefore she was bound to have new techniques and skills to display. He also secretly wondered whether or not she was still as beautiful as she had been two years ago. He smiled to himself briefly before frowning thoughtfully; he had never taken the time to contemplate why he had liked Sakura so much. Had he even thought about how he felt about her now? He supposed that he hadn't. At first it had been only her beauty that he had admired; her bright green eyes and her soft pink hair. However after forming team seven and coming to know Sakura well, he knew that she was a good person who tried her best. She was honest and hardworking; she was caring and thoughtful. When he thought about the thirteen-year-old Sakura now, he could see that she had been struggling with fear and personal doubts relating to her capabilities as a shinobi. Of course she wasn't always particularly pleasant. She could be terribly spiteful and moody. She could be ungrateful and cruel. However he had never payed close attention to those parts of who Sakura was, because he knew that beneath the bean sprouts floating in the ramen broth, there was always a lovely piece of pork hiding underneath. Coming into the present moment, he wasn't exactly sure if he was interested in her romantically any longer. He scratched his head and frowned again. No, he still wasn't sure. He picked a small pink flower from a bouquet on the offering stone in the shrine. He twirled it in his fingertips and the petals fell out one by one. He shook his head. Sakura had not felt the same way about him, and he doubted that that had changed. After all, how could it have changed when they had not spoken in over two years? He climbed out of the shrine and began to walk along the short lane when _tap tap…tap tap_. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around he saw spirited turquoise eyes smiling happily at him.

"Sakura-chan!" He cried joyfully.

"You're back! How are you feeling Naruto?" Sakura replied.

_She's even more beautiful, dattebayo_, Naruto thought to himself, his eyes glazing over as he gazed at Sakura in her red coat.

"Eh…Naruto?" questioned Sakura, bringing his thoughts abruptly into the present by tapping him on the head with a fist and causing him to sink slightly into the snow.

"Ouch! You've gotten strong like Tsunade-obaachan, Sakura-chan," Naruto grumbled as he rubbed the crown of his head.

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "She is shishou-san to you! Stop calling her obaachan. After all, she doesn't appear to be very old!" Sakura finished indignantly, crossing her arms.

"If only you knew," muttered Naruto under his breath.

Sakura sighed. "Naruto, if you are not busy this evening, would you like to go with Iruka-sensei and I to Ichiraku Ramen? I was thinking of going to ask Iruka-sensei if he would like to come right now," said Sakura, speaking in a kinder and softer tone of voice.

_So she doesn't want to be with me alone_, Naruto thought to himself. However, he had been looking forward to seeing Iruka-sensei, so this was a fine plan.

_Oh, I see. So he wanted to go with me alone, _thoughtSakura, observing his distant expression.

"Oh…unless you would rather you and I go without Iruka-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto placed one hand on the back of his head and grinned toothily at Sakura.

"Eating ramen at Ichiraku with Iruka-sensei is a tradition! I can't wait to see him there, dattebayo," he replied cheerfully.

"It's settled then!" replied Sakura, mustering a bright smile.

That evening, Sakura and Iruka-sensei met Naruto outside Ichiraku Ramen at eight o'clock. Iruka-sensei was overjoyed to eat ramen with his not-so-young pupils. It reminded him of how it used to be, before chaos and fear had first crippled the Leaf Village three years ago. Orochimaru and the Sand Village joined forces at that time in an attempt to destroy Konoha. Now, just as the village had managed to recover from the extensive loss of life and damage the invasion had caused, Akatsuki were resurfacing and reining terror over various hidden villages. Looking down the bench at Naruto and Sakura conversing happily, Iruka-sensei felt a surge of hope for the future wellbeing of the Leaf Village.

"With the quality of the current chounin and jounin, the godaime and our defence preparations, we do not have anything to fear," Iruka muttered, reassuring himself quietly.

"How about Naruto-niichan and I, Iruka-sensei? You've forgotten about us! We're still genin! We're good quality too, aren't we?"

Naruto turned around in his seat to see who had pointed out the embarrassing fact that he was still a genin and spotted Konohamaru who had suddenly appeared beside Iruka-sensei and was eyeing him beadily.

Naruto sighed. "And to think that I am at the same level as Konohamaru," he muttered in a depressed manner.

"Oh no, Honoura- I mean Konohamaru! You are right, our genin are of excellent quality too," replied Iruka-sensei, closing his eyes and waving his hands in front of his face, grinning. "Although Naruto is most likely at chounin level," he added thoughtfully.

"Yeah Konohamaru. It's just that I haven't been here to take that stinking exam," Naruto interjected indignantly.

"Oh yeah? Well I bet you haven't even learnt any new jutsu while you were away, unlike me."

"Why do you think I went away, Konohamaru? To eat ramen? I was training!" Naruto cried exasperatedly.

"When I said jutsu…" Konohamaru stopped to snigger and grin slyly. "I actually meant orioke no justu, you see."

Naruto and Iruka-sensei closed their eyes and grinned, waving their hands in front of their faces.

"Now it not such a great time for that," said Iruka-sensei lightly.

"Eh he…maybe not right here, Konohamaru," said Naruto in a slightly high-pitched voice.

Naruto and Iruka-sensei gestured simultaneously at Sakura, who was clenching her fists beneath her black gloves and staring menacingly at an oblivious Konohamaru.

Konohamaru followed their gestures with his eyes and after a few seconds, noticed Sakura's grievous expression.

"Oh! Don't worry Sakura-neechan. I knew you wouldn't want to be left out of all of this, so when I found this manga on your desk in Tsunade-obaachan's library, I thought I'd practice my technique using this stimulus!" Konohamaru grinned widely, waving a tattered addition of _Ouran High School Host Club_ in the air.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and her ears reddened.

"Oh, K-Konohamaru…I-I don't mind being left out of this! No, haha, I am honestly not bothered!" Sakura laughed nervously. This time it was her turn to close her eyes and grin, waving her hands in front of her face.

"I didn't spend an hour looking at this girly manga for nothing," remarked Konohamaru indignantly, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

Naruto was becoming quite curious at this point as to what the article contained. He turned to gaze suspiciously at Sakura, eyeing her scrupulously. Sakura glanced across at Iruka-sensei and Naruto before turning back to Konohamaru with a poorly disguised grimace plastered across her face.

"Please…" She begged Konohamaru weakly.

Konohamaru simply sniggered before crying "Hitachiin no jutsu!"

Suddenly, a familiar trumpet recording began to play on the radio inside Ichiraku Ramen and two boys of approximately sixteen with red hair and wearing only blue suit pants appeared where Konohamaru had just been standing, shrouded by a thin layer of mist.

"Hello, Sakura-chan," the twins said in unison.

At his words, Sakura soared backwards over the counter of Ichiraku Ramen and landed on her head, her feet and hands flailing in the hair.

Naruto turned away from the off-putting scene to stare at the crumpled form at Ayame-san's feet.

"And you said you thought that the technique was ineffective," he commented, directing his speech towards the crumpled form.

Iruka-sensei was staring at his feet, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. With a _poof_ Konohamaru had resumed his ordinary form, smiling serenely.

"Okay Naruto-niichan, now I can show you-"

Konohamaru did not have the opportunity to finish his sentence before Sakura had sprung back to life, vaulting over the restaurant counter and making her way speedily over to Konohamaru before proceeding to flick him on the forehead, a determined expression upon her face. Konohamaru flew backwards across the street and skidded to a halt in the snow twenty metres away. He clambered to his feet before crying "I will see you soon Naruto-niichan!" and quickly scampered away into the night. Naruto turned to grin widely at Sakura and received another knock on the head. Iruka-sensei, lost for words, quietly turned back to his bowl of salmon ramen.

This incident had reminded Sakura of what it was like to be a friend of Naruto's: it was chaotic and frustrating; however it was also passionate and moving. To her, Naruto was a dearly loved friend. She loved his kindness and his resilient spirit; she loved his courage and his compassion for others. However Sakura knew now that even if she tried to muster romantic feelings for Naruto, they would not surface in her heart.

As Naruto contemplated the evening, he became unsure as to whether he wanted to change his relationship with Sakura. It was happy and sound the way it was, wasn't it? Despite loving Sakura for who she was, Naruto often succumbed to a feeling of insecurity when he was with her. He did not always feel like he could be his true self. When he had expressed himself in the past he had been scrutinised. _Maybe I just like admiring from afar?_ He thought to himself before smiling slyly.

"I'm sounding like Ero Sennin," he muttered. With that, Naruto proceeded to amble through the snow in the direction of his dusty apartment.

**A/N:**

**-The trumpet music mentioned is of course the typical 'orioke no jutsu' music you hear within the anime. **

**-The Hitachiin twins are from an anime and manga called Ouran High School Host Club. I am sure that some of you will know of this! For those of you who would like to see what the twins look like, type in Hitachiin twins on Google Images.**

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter (which was slightly on the light-hearted side in comparison to the first two chapters). The next chapter will feature Hinata, Lee, Gai-sensei, Neji, Naruto and Konohamaru. **


	4. Hinata's Transformation

**A/N: Please note that in Japan, the last name usually proceeds the first for introductory purposes. For example, 'I am Hyuga Hinata'. I know that most of you will already know this, but I just thought I would make it clear. Also, I would like to say that I do have a firm knowledge of Japanese as I have studied it extensively for five years. I also have Japanese friends who help me. **

**I am sorry that I said that Konohamaru and Naruto would be in this chapter! They aren't in chapter four, but they will be in chapter five. **

**Thank you to everyone for your support! I hope that you enjoy chapter four!**

_Chapter Four: Hinata's Transformation _

Three frost bitten days after Neji had visited his cousin in the bedroom that had become her bedraggled bastille, Hinata disentangled herself from her sweaty bedclothes and stumbled across the tatami matting towards a small sink in the corner of the room. Struggling to stand on her weak legs, Hinata grasped either side of the basin and utilised it as a means of support. Slowly, she lowered her face to gaze upon her forlorn reflection in the murky water. Reaching her hand into the unsanitary substance, Hinata lifted the plug from the sink and observed the swirling brown matter as it escaped into the drain. Then, replacing the plug, Hinata proceeded to refill the basin and wash her face. After a several minutes of rubbing soap onto her skin, Hinata gazed at her soapy reflection in the clear water. Her violet eyes appeared sharper and refreshed. After rinsing her face, Hinata walked over to her cupboard and rummaged through her dark coloured clothing. She sighed in a woebegone manner, _none of these coats will do_, Hinata thought to herself before sitting down heavily on a rucksack lying on the matting. Looking down swiftly, Hinata noticed that the rucksack she was sitting on was not her own. Quickly rolling from her seated position on the bag, she proceeded to open it inquisitively and was surprised to find that it belonged to Shino. Suddenly, an expression of comprehension dawned on her face. _So this is why Neji-san could not find my bandages_. _We must have confused our backpacks after training last week_, Hinata concluded. She wondered why she had not noticed this neat, kempt piece of luggage sooner; after all, it contrasted distinctly with the rest of her bedroom which was currently in shambles. Just as Hinata was about to close Shino's rucksack, she noticed that it contained one of his dark winter coats. Her eyes brightened; it was exactly the variety of cloak she had been searching for. Hinata hesitated, _but this belongs to Shino. What if he is bothered by me wearing it? _Hinata closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, before screwing up her face at the foul smell occupying the air of her bedroom. The only way in which she would be leaving this cave today would be under the coat belonging to Shino. Hinata stood up and lifted the coat from the bag, knotting her eyebrows with uncertainty. Slowly, she dressed herself and fastened the warm black coat. It was quite long and bulky; and the high collar almost rose up past her eyes, but it certainly was suitable for Hinata's purpose. Opening her bedroom door, Hinata was welcomed by the freshly minted morning light and a pleasant winter breeze. She set off quickly past the bedrooms of her family members, briefly stopping at the kitchen to take an apple before clearing the gates of the Hyuga estate.

Trotting carefully over the frost-covered earth, Hinata made her way towards a small and well-kept house on the street adjacent to her own. Upon reaching the front door, Hinata took in a deep breath of morning air and sighed in a surrendered manner. _Knock, knock._ Hinata knocked politely on the front door. Silence followed. Then…

"If I do not make it to the front door before Shingo I will have to run around the garden twenty times, without shoes!"

"If I do not make it to the front door before Mayu I will have to climb the stairs fifty times in three minutes! No, two minutes!"

The door of the house flew wide open and two academy-aged children, one boy and one girl, gazed up at the black-cloaked figure standing before them on the doormat. They were both wearing forest green pyjamas and had large, round black eyes and long eyelashes.

"Who are you?" The young girl asked impudently.

Hinata pulled down her collar to speak to the children in a clear voice.

"Ah…I am Hyuga Hinata. I was wondering if your brother was at home. Oh, and I am sorry to present myself at this time of the morning!" Hinata added quickly.

"Lee is not here now," said the boy, ignoring Hinata's apology.

"Oh…I see…" replied Hinata.

Just as Hinata was turning away from the twins, Mayu piped up excitedly.

"He is probably visiting Gai-sensei. Because that is what he usually does!"

"Ah…Of course. Thank you very much for your help!"

Hinata, giving a slight bow to both of the twins, had the door promptly closed in her face whilst in mid-bow. Straightening up, she began her walk to the home of Gai-sensei. This made her slightly nervous. In spite of the fact that she knew of the house in which Gai-sensei lived, she had never visited a sensei at home in the past, not even her own Kurenai-sensei. Hinata supposed that as she was no longer a gennin and a student of one of the jounin, it was more appropriate for her to visit the home of Gai-sensei. He was no longer an instructor, but simply a fellow Konoha ninja; he was a comrade. It was not long before Hinata reached the small house that she had often seen the black haired ninja donning a green spandex suit disappear into. This time, Hinata was slightly more cautious about approaching the lacquered front door, equipped with a frog-shaped door knocker. She trod slowly and quietly up the snow covered path towards the door, not knowing exactly why she was bothering to approach the entrance with stealth, she would be presenting herself in a number of seconds anyway. Hinata pulled Shino's coat up over her face and knocked on the door, screwing up her face in apprehension and holding her breath. After a few tense seconds, Hinata exhaled and stared at the green door. All was silent apart from the sound of the falling snowflakes. Just as Hinata was about to knock for the second and final time…

"Dainamikku-Entori!"

_CRASH!_

Hinata tumbled back down the garden path as woodchips flew every which way and the frog-shaped door knocker went rolling past her hand. Lifting herself from the ground, Hinata turned to stare in fear and disbelief at the person who appeared to have just kicked down his own front door. Gai-sensei, wearing a green towel around his waist and a strawberry-patterned shower cap was grinning toothily down at Hinata, his right hand extended in his 'nice guy pose'. Hinata had to shield her eyes from the glint of his tooth.

"Heeeenata! What can I do for you this morning?"

Hinata, who currently had the collar of the coat pulled up over her eyes, mildly registered that Gai-sensei had succeeded in identifying her straight away._ I wonder if there was much use wearing this after all_, Hinata sighed.

"Ah, well I-I am sorry to have disturbed you and caused this destruction in your garden!" Hinata gasped as she gazed at the woodchips scattered at her feet.

Gai-sensei continued to smile down at her as if she had not uttered a single word.

"Ah…well, I was just wondering if Lee happened to be with you this morning…Gai-sensei?"

Gai-sensei turned on the spot and resumed his nice guy pose, his tooth glinting once again.

"No, no! Not this morning. Lee is at Tenten's house playing shogi with her grandmother who is said to be Konoha's current senior champion. He has vowed to become a great strategist like Shikamaru!"

A tear slid town Gai-sensei's young face.

"That's my Lee! He's always striving to be the best!" Gai sobbed.

"Ah, I see. Do you think that it would be appropriate for me to interrupt them?" Hinata questioned with uncertainty.

"No! No! You're a friend Hinata. You know Lee would never deny the opportunity to help a friend in need! That wouldn't be our Lee! No, I am sure he would be happy to help. In fact, he would be disappointed if you _didn't_ go to him in your time of need!" cried Gai dramatically.

"Ah…in that case…I will go to Tenten's home. Thank you very much Gai-sensei. I apologise again for the disturbance!" Hinata bowed low.

"Any time Hinata; any time!"

And, with a whip of his towel and a flash of strawberry red, Gai disappeared into his door less home.

By the time Hinata had made her way to the terrace house belonging to Tenten's family, she was beginning to doubt her original goal for the morning. Nevertheless, she knocked lightly on the front door and waited for a response. There was no answer. Hinata observed the crowded street on which Tenten lived; the restaurants and stores were bustling with people. Realising that she had not knocked loud enough, Hinata tried once more. She strained her ears to differentiate between sounds issuing from inside the house and those issuing from the busy street.

"I will be there soon. Wait a moment."

_Neji-san!_

Hinata heard the voice with seconds to spare before the iron door handle began to turn. She fled to the side of the house and leant against the wall, the sound of her shallow breathing concealed by the noise of the street. She could hear Neji walking down the garden path. If she moved, she would immediately give away her position. However if she remained, she would be noticed when Neji turned around. Hinata pleaded with herself to think of a way to escape the situation. Neji thought that she was at home and feeling extremely ill. This would not be easy to explain. Hinata felt as though she was suspended in the moment as she watched a young boy playing with a rabbit in the street. _That's it!_ Whispering, "Transform!" Hinata placed her hands and fingers in the correct seal position and observed as a cloud of dust engulfed her momentarily. When the dust cleared, Hinata found her eyes to be level with the fence. Looking down at her body, she was relieved to see that the transformation jutsu had worked effectively. She was now a replica of the small boy in the street. _Except for my hair!_ The boy's short hair was now Hinata's unique shade of blue. Hinata panicked, but it was too late to amend her error. Neji turned around and spotted Hinata immediately, pressed against the wall of the house.

"Was it you that knocked on the door just before?" Neji questioned solemnly.

"Ah…Ah yes, yes it was me," Hinata replied, painfully aware of the fact that her lack of confidence may cause Neji to draw parallels between herself and the young boy.

"Why did you knock? Are you looking for Tenten or her mother?"

"Ah, no…I'm looking for Rock Lee. I heard that he was here this morning," Hinata replied nervously.

"Oh, yes, he is inside. Why are you standing there? Do you want to come in?"

"Oh! Well…ah, well…would it trouble Lee to speak to me outside for a short while?"

Neji smiled suspiciously. "You certainly are articulate for someone your age. And no, Lee can come and speak to you here." He sighed exhaustedly. "It would be nice to have a break from him actually," he added as an afterthought.

"Ah…thank you very much, Nej- I mean, niichan," Hinata replied breathlessly.

Neji nodded and disappeared into the house once more. Seconds later, Hinata heard the noise of rapidly moving feet and before she had time to register what was going on, a flash of green streamed past her and down the garden path. She was so surprised that she almost toppled over. She stood stock still on the path as Lee doubled back and came to a halt in front of her.

"What can I do for you this morning?" Lee grinned down at Hinata, winking.

"Ah! Lee-kun! Could I ah, bother you to talk with me for a few moments? Only I would rather if we went somewhere a little further away from this house if that is not too inconvenient for you, of course!"

"Oh! This sounds important. Alright then, you lead the way," Lee replied happily.

Hinata glanced around nervously before remembering that there was a small nature reserve on the next street. As she walked down the street, she could feel Lee's inquisitive eyes on the back of her head. She turned to smile at him apologetically and he took this as a que to ask a question.

"Otoutou-chan? How do you know who I am?"

"Ah, well, can I…would you mind if I answered your question at the nature reserve? We will be there in a moment! I promise!"

"Oh! So that is where we are going! Why didn't you say so sooner?"

With that, Lee lifted Hinata into the air and placed her on his back crying, "Yosh! Let's go!" before thundering off down the crowded street at an incredible speed, snow flying every which way in his wake.

They reached the nature reserve in seconds and before Lee had the time to place Hinata on the ground, the weight on his back increased significantly, causing him to collapse onto his knees. Hinata, complete with Shino's large black coat, lay on the ground for a moment before moving over to Lee to help him to his feet. However, as expected, he was the one that came to assist Hinata.

"Hinata-san! It was you! What were you doing?"

"I am sorry for being dishonest with you Lee-kun. But I couldn't let Neji-kun see me here. He believes that I am at home and unwell."

"Ah, I see. But I don't understand. Why does he think that you are unwell?"

"I have been inside my bedroom for a week now," Hinata replied, staring despairingly at the snowy ground.

"I still don't understand…Why?" Lee questioned, his voice softening.

Hinata stared at Lee, her violet eyes wide and distressed.

"Na-Naruto-kun has returned!" she stuttered, her voice overwhelmed by emotion.

Silence followed. Finally, Lee began to speak.

"Oh! I understand now," he replied, grinning warmly. "I heard Kiba talking about how you always seem to faint when you see Naruto-kun. So you were afraid of seeing him and fainting in the snow? Then you really might get sick!"

"Ah, well…something similar…I-I suppose…" Hinata replied, smiling weakly at Lee's amusing response.

Lee stared at Hinata's flushed face for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing.

"There is something that you wanted to talk to me about this morning?" Lee questioned.

Hinata was brought abruptly to the present moment and the matter at hand.

"Ah, yes!" Hinata drew a deep breath and continued. "I was wondering if you could tell me…what it is about Sakura-san that you…ah, seem to admire," Hinata stated bashfully.

Lee stared at Hinata mild shock. Hinata, believing that she had offended Lee is some way, turned away from the agape expression on his face. Moments later, as she was turning back to face Lee and apologise for the offence, she noticed the tears streaming down his face and his clenched fists held close to his heart.

"Sakura-chan!" he cried. "Why do I love her, you ask? Well, there are too many reasons to even begin to count! Not only is she kind, compassionate and intelligent, but she is also confident and strong, skilled in many different fields and oh how she is beautiful!" Lee bawled in earnest.

Hinata stared in disbelief at Lee's shameless display of affection for Sakura. As he continued to praise Sakura, Hinata's attention was brought to the fact that she too was crying out for the one that she loved; the hunger in the centre of her chest was unbearable… How could it be that Lee found expressing his love to be such an effortless task?

_Confidence_. That was it. Lee had said that he adored Sakura's confidence. Lee was a confident person. Naruto was a confident person. Why did Naruto enjoy Sakura's company? She was confident. Hinata sighed. She had known all along that she would have to muster the courage to bear her true self to the world. If she chose to remain in her warm and comfortable cocoon, it would, without a doubt, eventually become her hell. Now was the time to break free of the restrictions imposed on her by herself. She would find him. She would no longer run away. It was time to escape the cocoon she had entered as a caterpillar, and leave as a butterfly.


	5. A Misunderstanding

_Chapter Five: A Misunderstanding _

After Lee had departed the reserve, Hinata reappeared on the street, removing the stifling black coat. In spite of the cool weather, she felt alive and refreshed; she felt a new gust of ambition swirling within her. Continuing down a small lane, Hinata reappeared in the square she had often visited before her academy examinations. Here, there was a small shrine between two houses; this was her destination. As she walked across the square towards the familiar smell of incense permeating the air surrounding the shrine, she noticed the sounds of laughter and bustling crowds nearby. This struck her as peculiar, as this was generally a distinctively peaceful area of the village. Changing direction, Hinata walked towards an alleyway that led onto a slightly larger square. Peering at the square on the other side of the alley, Hinata found that the ordinarily peaceful square had been transformed into a populous marketplace. Disregarding her fear of crowds, Hinata entered the alleyway and stepped curiously into the bustling scene. Finally it dawned on her; these were the markets of the Konoha winter festival. Having been no where else but her own bedroom over the last week, Hinata had overlooked the festival that would continue for five days; celebrating the five great Hokage of Konoha. Hinata smiled to herself as she began to walk through the marketplace, enjoying the smell of yakitori and warm ramen broth that drifted through the cool air. _Ramen._ Within seconds of catching sight of the Ichiraku Ramen stall, Hinata saw a flash of blonde hair in the distance that brought her thoughts back to the matter at hand. Naruto was here. _He…he will see me!_ Forgetting about her previous resolve to gain confidence, Hinata pressed her hands together in the shape of a seal and cried "Transform!" for the second time that morning. Looking down at her body, Hinata had effectively transformed into a girl who was gazing at the clear sky several metres away. She was approximately seventeen years old and possessed light pink hair not unlike the colour of Sakura's. Hinata sighed forlornly. _I suppose that gaining confidence is a process_. Just as Hinata turned around to double back towards the peaceful adjoining square, an older woman grasped her wrist and pulled her grumpily over to a nearby stall.

"Fumika!" the old woman wailed, her grey hair slipping out of an unkempt bun. "I thought I told you to stay by the stall! Who do you think would be held responsible if someone walked by here and decided to steal these statues?"

The old woman gestured towards a group of ugly ceramic statues standing on a small table outside the stall. Fearing even deeper trouble and a guilty conscience, Hinata decided that tending to the stall for the real Fumika until she returned would be the right thing to do.

"Ah…I-I apologise for leaving the stall unattended, obaasama," Hinata replied politely.

The old woman shook her head and sighed. "Just stay here now, will you?"

"Of-Of course…"

The old woman gave Hinata one last, disparaging look before heading off into the bustling crowd. Sighing in relief, Hinata sat down heavily on a small wooden stool and gazed at the peculiar statues on the small table. Among the many statues of gnomes and spirits, there was a ceramic bear fishing for carp in a stream, an elephant wearing a raincoat and a koala holding a bouquet of eucalyptus leaves. There were also several small brooches adorned with various mystical creatures. Looking down at her feet, Hinata noticed three small novels lying on the sodden ground. Bending over to pick them up, Hinata caught the sound of a familiar laugh. Her head collided painfully with the tabletop as she attempted to resurface from beneath the table as swiftly as possible. Hinata squinted into the distance as her head throbbed painfully, her eyes widening as she began to comprehend the scene occurring in front of her. What she saw caused adrenaline to rush into her legs and her knees to buckle simultaneously. _Naruto! He-he's coming this way! _Hinata stared wide-eyed at Naruto, beside herself with anxiety and feeling as though she was about to throw up. _He's…he has…grown so beautifully…_ Hinata shrank back into the shadows of the stall, her gaze fixed on the boy in the orange and black jumpsuit walking towards her. He had arrived. With a lopsided smile on his face, Naruto picked up one of the statues and observed it in the light. He placed it back on the table. Then, he picked up an orange brooch.

"What do you think of this badge, neechan?" questioned Naruto, squinting at the small piece of jewellery.

It was several seconds before Hinata registered the fact that Naruto was directing his speech towards her. Hinata gulped and cleared her throat quietly.

"I-I think it is…very…ah, nice…" Hinata spoke, her voice wavering.

Naruto grinned. "Do you think it would be a nice gift for my friend? She might like the funny face on this badge," stated Naruto, obviously unaware of the fact that the face belonged to a formidable legendary ogre. "Or maybe this statue?" Naruto questioned, picking up a small ceramic pig eating a sweet bean dumpling.

Hinata had been lost in thought after the word 'she'. _She._ Who was the badge for?

"It's…a…uh, n-nice brooch…I suppose," Hinata replied hoarsely.

Naruto screwed up his face in concentration, staring at Hinata and causing her to blush fervently.

"Hmm…my friend has the same colour hair as you…and she always wears red…so maybe this red badge?"

_It's Sakura._ Hinata knew now. How could she have been so dull to even assume that she had the slightest chance to love Naruto? Had she been living in a state of delusion? Were her assumptions even fair? Was it acceptable for her to feel the way she did about Naruto? Before she could control herself, the tears that had been threatening to make a public appearance cascaded down her flushed cheeks and she began cry silently while Naruto continued to browse through the array of statues. It was several minutes before he noticed that the girl tending to the stall was crying.

"Neesan! Are you alright?" Naruto asked, his bright blue eyes expressing his concern.

Hinata simply dropped her head and stared down at the floor, now crying in earnest, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. Then, without any warning, Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder and began to speak. But that one, light touch had been enough. Hinata could not stand to feel that hand on her skin. Standing up abruptly, Hinata flew out of the stall and into the marketplace, through the crowded streets and the gates of the Hyuga estate and back into her bed, back into her cocoon.


	6. Reality

_Chapter Six - Reality_

Hinata saw Neji outside her bedroom before she heard him slide open the shoji screen and enter quietly. Hinata, her byakugan activated, was sitting on a cushion facing away from the entrance her visitor had chosen to take. She managed to clamber to her feet to greet her cousin, only to tumble to the ground no more daintily that would a rag doll. Neji made his way swiftly over to his cousin and knelt quietly next to her helpless figure, one hand on either side of her body. Hinata gazed up into the pair of clear grey eyes hovering above her face before turning her head sideways in an attempt to escape their unwavering stare. Seconds later however, her eyesight was inhibited by a cloud of dust and a strange _'poof'_ sound reached her ear that was not positioned on the floor. Hinata turned her head towards Neji in bewilderment, as though he would be able to explain what had just occurred. However, the clear grey eyes she had expected to meet were now a terribly familiar dark blue. _Naruto. Naruto! _Hinata let out a wail of anguish and attempted to crawl out from beneath him. Sliding backwards in a crab-like manner, her face burning, Hinata placed her hand on a scroll. It rolled out from beneath her hand and caused her to collapse once more onto her back, splayed out on the tatami mat, in her Western-style flannelette pyjamas. She didn't understand how it had come to be that Naruto was sitting in her bedroom; all that she cared to confirm at the moment was that he _was _actually there. Daring to open her eyes for a millisecond, Hinata caught a flash of orange hovering above her dishevelled form. _What…what should I do? _Hinata panicked, her eyes closed tightly. She contemplated simply remaining on the floor, her eyes firmly closed until Naruto grew tired of the situation and decided to leave. Maybe she could manage to pretend she was asleep? Yes, she would try that. Naruto grasped her hand. _Too late._ Hinata's immediate reaction was to create a fist. However this time, seemingly against her will, her hand soon relaxed into the warmth of another. She allowed herself to be helped to her feet, and was soundlessly guided out onto the icy veranda. What was this? What was happening?

"It's happening!" cried Hinata croakily into her futon. "It's real!"

_Knock, knock. _

Hinata was awoken by the sound of two sharp knocks on her bedroom door. Slowly, she pushed away her lumpy quilt cover and peeled lengths of her raven-coloured hair from the back of her sweaty neck. The excitement she had left her bedroom with that morning was nowhere to be found. In fact, the vivid dream she had just experienced had caused her to feel even worse, if that was possible. Upon returning to her familiar squalor after the events of the morning, Hinata had hastily removed Shino's coat (she had released the transformation jutsu) and clambered into bed wearing her usual stained and oversized pyjama shorts and t-shirt. Assuming it would be a family member who had come to see her, Hinata did not bother to change before opening her door.

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata squeaked in utter horror.

Kiba was standing in the hallway and appeared slightly confused and worried as he gazed at his wretched-looking team member. He also seemed to be standing quite far away from the threshold into Hinata's bedroom. Hinata felt her face prickle uncomfortably. It was the smell.

"Hinata…what is going on Hinata?"

Hinata could not think of a suitable reply. Instead, she felt bold enough to ask Kiba a similar question.

"Kiba-kun…why have you come here?" Hinata questioned meekly.

"Well…I actually came to deliver a message from Kurenai-sensei," Kiba replied, staring determinedly at the ground, slightly embarrassed by the way in which he had discovered his friend.

"Oh? Ah…I see…"

"Well, Hinata-san, Kurenai-sensei has asked her friend to come to speak with you for a short while. If you are alright with that, I mean," finished Kiba.

"Oh…well…yes, please tell Kurenai-sensei that there was no need to ask! To send her own friend here to see me…she must…she must be…" Hinata hesitated.

Kiba sighed. "She is very worried about you Hinata… We all are," Kiba stated. Then, losing all pretence he continued recklessly, "Hinata! Can't you just tell us what is going on?"

Hinata blinked in swift succession as she attempted to combat the tears that were threatening to escape her large eyes.

"I…I c-can't," she choked.

Hinata expected Kiba to glare determinedly in the other direction, but instead he continued to glare at her face as she tried in anguish not to burst into tears. He squinted slightly and cocked his head. Finally he relaxed his face and sighed once more.

"Well," he said, turning on his heel. "I honestly hope that I see you soon…I…we…we miss you!" Kiba exclaimed hurriedly, his cheeks pink, before running away down the corridor.

Hinata listened to the sound of his moving feet growing softer and softer as he moved further away from her. She turned and closed the door to her bedroom, sinking into a heap on the floor against the wall, her face in her grimy hands.

**A/N: The next chapter is going to be quite major! Hopefully, you will also find it amusing in a very Naruto way! Unfortunately, I cannot see the LeeSaku relationship playing a major role in this story. Just a tiny one towards the end! It will not be explored in depth. However there is plenty more to develop in regard to Hinata and Naruto! **


	7. Genjutsu

Chapter Seven: Genjutsu

_Chapter Seven: Genjutsu _

Naruto leant against the cold cement wall just inside the Leaf Village gates and he was growing in agitation as he awaited Konohamaru's arrival. Despite having endured multiple years of training with the notoriously unpunctual Kakashi, Naruto still found himself troubled by Konohamaru's lateness, and began to fidget incessantly with the clasp on his frog purse. As he did so, one of the multiple crumpled photographs within the purse was set free and drifted onto the snowy ground. Picking it up, Naruto smirked as he gazed at the photograph of Jiraya standing next to a displeased feminine version of himself. He looked up and across the square. Konohamaru was most likely expecting to meet his pig-tailed form by the main gates, as opposed to his ordinary self. Naruto smiled reminiscently. While those days shrouded in mist, quite literally, would never disappear from his memory, Naruto knew that _his_ feminine form would quite possibly never be seen wondering Konoha again. He looked up into the brightening sky and inhaled a breath of icy morning air, exhaling with a small 'ha' as a grin formed on his sixteen year old face and a thought formed within his mind. _There's no doubt that Konohamaru still finds multiple female forms useful_. And with this in mind, Naruto rummaged through his rucksack for the hair elastics he no longer required to give to Konohamaru.  
Meanwhile, Konohamaru, disguised as frescoed wall panel at the other side of the square was frowning disappointedly in Naruto's direction: he had indeed hoped to meet Naruto's female form. _He probably thinks he's too old and mature for any fun!_ Konohamaru thought. Finally he sighed and shook his head sadly._ I never thought I would be reduced to using this jutsu against you, but I suppose it can't be helped. After all, no one is too old for this._ Konohamaru grinned toothily to himself before making his way around the far corner of the wall and transforming back into his natural form. Brushing away the snowflakes from a patch of frozen earth, the thirteen-year-old extracted a scroll, an ink brush and pot, and a small green book from his rucksack and placed them neatly on the ground. Thinking carefully, Konohamaru scanned various pages of the book before settling on the tab marked 'Sa' and turning to the corresponding page. Several photographs of Sakura had been glued to the page and each possessed a corresponding kanji seal. Smiling mischievously, Konohamaru copied the seal beneath one of the pictures onto his scroll before forming the correct hand sign and listening for the small, high-pitched sound that signified the success of his preparations.  
Naruto was still searching through his rucksack when the faint smell of roses and bubble bath drifted past his nose. Looking up, he stumbled backwards in shock at the sight that met his eyes, tripping over his own feet and landing on the ground. He was sitting in an empty room that seemed to extend endlessly into the distance in every direction. It was lit by a soft pink light and was slightly misty. As he stared wildly around the large space he began to hear the soft sound of laughter, accompanied by a trumpet playing sensuously. The sounds seemed to issuing from somewhere quite far in the distance and when accompanied by the soft, feminine smell, Naruto began to feel somewhat relaxed and inquisitive as to who was laughing. Clambering to his feet, Naruto felt warm water droplets condense on his face and wondered through the pleasant mist in the direction of the sound and scent. One or two soap bubbles drifted past him, increasing in number and frequency as the music grew louder. Eventually, he began to hear a voice calling _'Naruto kun_'; it unmistakeably belonged to Sakura. Naruto began to walk at a faster pace and eventually spotted Sakura in the distance, wearing a white bath towel one would usually wear at the hot springs. He ran forward, his arms outstretched towards Sakura directly ahead.  
"Sakura cha- Ow!"  
Opening his eyes, Naruto was laying stomach-down on the snowy ground, staring up at Konohamaru, who was grinning widely.  
"Naruto niichan! That was so funny to watch! I was laughing so much that I couldn't focus on my genjutsu!" cried Konohamaru, holding back another bout of laughter with difficulty.  
Naruto's eyes suddenly widened with comprehension as his memory of what he had been doing before entering the illusion returned to him. After recovering from the initial shock regarding Konohamaru's ability to successfully employ a sophistocated genjutsu, Naruto realised what his little apprentice had _actually_ done.  
"Konohamaru! You-you used Sakura in your orioke no genjutsu?! You little pervert!"  
Naruto sprung to his feet before landing on the ground once more, Konohamaru pinned beneath him.  
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry! I promise I won't use _Sakura_ in my genjutsu again!"  
Naruto softened his grip on Konohamaru's shoulders and, still frowning menacingly, lifted himself off the ground and stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. Konohamaru picked himself off and dusted the snow off of his pants, before proceeding to collect his scroll and materials from around the corner. When he returned, Naruto was still standing in the same position. His lips were closed tightly, forming a very thin line on this face and a shadow had descended on the upper part of his face. It appeared as though was struggling not to speak. Finally, as Konohamaru began to walk towards the marketplace, gesturing to his grumpy companion to follow, Naruto's question burst forth from his lips.  
"H-How did you create such an...an _effective_ justu?"  
Konohamaru grinned.  
"It comes in handy to have a few variations of the orioke no jutsu up your sleeve when your sensei is Ebisu," Konohamaru replied happily.  
"I understand your situation," replied Naruto darkly, smiling.  
The two continued their walk towards the centre of Konoha in relative silence. Suddenly, Konohamaru piped up.  
"Naruto niichan…you can't tell me that you didn't learn any new variations of your orioke no jutsu while you were away training? After all, you were with Jiraya…and they don't call him the perverted hermit for no reason."  
Naruto grinned.  
"Acutally, it's only me and you that call him that. And, well you see Konohamaru, I stopped summoning _my_ female form a while ago now."  
"Why?"  
"Jiraya was no longer affected by her," Naruto answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "But Konohamaru...that doesn't mean that I have turned into a boring old sod. _In fact_, now I am going to show you _my_ new technique."  
Naruto smiled warmly at his younger friend before casting his eyes around the street they were currently standing on. Naruto spotted a middle aged kunoichi reading what appeared to be a letter outside the Hyuga estate and deemed her an appropriate subject. Concentrating on the woman in front of him, Naruto quickly transformed into the lady. And before Konohamaru could make a comment, Naruto had changed again. This time, he had transformed into a younger, appealing version of his subject, complete with a perfume scent and an altered uniform that appeared to be a combination between Anko and Sai's shinobi clothing.  
"Well, what do you think?" Naruto turned to face Konohamaru, shiny turquoise locks of hair cascading down his face.  
Konohamaru laughed and nodded in approval before transforming into his clothed female form for good measure. Suddenly, the woman holding the letter let out a loud gasp, and the two watched as she rushed away from the gate in a panic. She appeared to have dropped something on the ground as she fled. Out of curiosity, Naruto and Konohamaru approached the discarded item and discovered it was a sealed envelope. Naruto picked the letter up off of the ground and searched for a letter box near the gates of the estate, assuming the woman had meant to give it to someone within the house.  
"Naruto niichan…this is Hinata and Neji's house!"  
Naruto glanced around in surprise at Konohamaru.  
"It has been so long since I have been here! I almost didn't recognise this place…" Naruto stated in awe, pressing himself against the wooden slats of the gates and staring through the gaps at the grand home. "Come on Konohamaru, let's-"  
"Marimo san!"  
Kiba's voice issued from behind the gate. Kiba was one of the many people Naruto was yet to see for the first time in since arriving home from his training period with Jiraya. As far as Naruto was aware, Kiba had been out of the country whilst working on a mission over the past week.  
"Kiba!" Naruto cried happily from the opposite side of the gates.  
Kiba pushed a button and the gates slid open slowly, allowing Naruto and Konohamaru to enter the premises. Naruto ran up to Kiba excitedly, Konohamaru trailing behind.  
"Kiba kun! You want to meet at Ichiraku later on? Woah, you've grown Kiba!" exclaimed Naruto, measuring his head height against Kiba's and discovering that he was significantly smaller than he last remembered.  
_Kuso! I am still in my female form!_ Upon remembering this fact, Naruto had to backtrack slightly.  
"Oh, um...uh- I mean…I-"  
"Marimo san…you…Kurenai said to look out for a middle aged woman?" Kiba stated in a confused manner, ignoring Naruto's previous statements and blushing slightly as he gazed upon the beautiful and youthful kunoichi.  
"I…well…wait, what are you talking about?" Naruto questioned, squinting slightly in Kiba's direction.  
"Are you not Marimo san, here to see Hinata san? Please come in right away. Please come too," Kiba finished, directing his last sentence towards Konohamaru.


	8. The Undiscovered

**A/N: Hi everyone! Please note that the text in italics at the start of this chapter is part of the song 'Simple and Clean' by Utada Hikaru. A small part of the song is also used later in the chapter. See if you can spot it if you know the song. If not, just enjoy ..  
**  
_Chapter Eight – The Undiscovered _

_Wish I could prove I love you, but does that mean I have to walk on water? When you are older you'll understand it's enough when I say so. And maybe, some things are that simple. _

_What is it that I am feeling_? What was it that she was feeling? What did it feel like to be in love? Was love supposed to feel so painful? She felt as thought it was tearing at her heart, slowly causing it to furl at the edges, worn from overuse, and begin to disintegrate; piece by fragile, tattered piece. At the same time, it seemed that for complete disintegration to take place, a long period of time within which she did not see Naruto would be required. Because in spite of the situation, just seeing him…allowing her eyes to drink thirstily his concrete form for as long as she could without arousing suspicion…feasting on his whole person…caused her heart to beat faster, feel warm inside her chest, and begin to repair. His every imperfection…she no longer saw them, no matter how closely or how long she gazed at his beautiful face…his body…him. In his absence, Hinata contemplated the past continuously; constantly and vividly reliving regretful situations and experiences she had survived through that concerned Naruto. These were what caused her heart to tear at the seams; the thought of everything she had done or not done; living in a state of relentless resentment of the past. He was her form of meditation. When she was with him, only the present moment existed; what ever had occurred in the past was forgotten, and whatever lied beyond the present was a little later on. Whenever her name was uttered by him, she only wished he would say it over, and over again. When he looked at her and smiled, the simple fact that he acknowledged her existence had changed her as a person. When someone stopped in the street to allow her to pass and had not simply walked into her… it surprised Hinata that they had seen her at all…that _Naruto_ could see her, hear her, touch her, and smell her…this was what amazed Hinata the most. She felt as though acknowledgement from others shied in comparison to his recognition and attention.  
But what was it to feel love? If she was in love, how would she know? Was it the fact that Hinata could remember every brush of her body against his, every instance they had spoken, that was supposed to inform her of her feelings? Or was it the pang in her stomach that made her feel like swearing aloud every time she saw him, or her longing to be close to him while wanting to be 20 kilometres away instantaneously? Could it be the fact that his face was imprinted upon her memory like a psychological tattoo; so that she thought about him with painfully permanence? Was this what love was?  
Or was it when you encounter another who causes you to smile whenever you see them and to feel only slightly self conscious because you know that this person accepts you wholly? The imperfections that you, yourself examine in detail, cannot be seen by them. Someone who sees only the light within you, and you, only theirs. This someone can be looked straight in the eye, unwaveringly, and can be smiled and laughed with freely. Someone that you wish to be near, but the thrill of every individual touch has worn away; or was possibly never there in the first place.  
Is this variety of love, so confident and binding, simply friendship between a girl and a boy? Or is this friendship, established and unwavering, the second stage of love? A love that is not fed by every encounter and touch, every desperate, heart-skipping glance, but the person that you are; complete with every fault and every imperfection. The only fact Hinata could be sure of was that if there was a second stage of love with such characteristics, she was yet to reach this stage.

Leaning against the door, Hinata raised her face from her hands before rubbing the sweat away with the back of her arm. The room was very warm. Hinata suspected her father had lit the fire in the bedroom that belonged to Neji next door. Picking herself up, Hinata walked weakly over to her cupboard to search for something lighter to wear, and cleaner for that matter. She didn't want to appear so desperately dishevelled when Kurenai's friend came to visit. _Why would she wish to visit with me?_ Hinata wondered. Inside her cupboard Hinata discovered that all of her summer clothing had been moved to the upper-most shelf. Unable to scale her drawers in her current state, Hinata discovered one of the old, navy-blue singlet shirts that she had worn almost every day as a genin in her underwear drawer. She couldn't help but to allow for a small smile to invade her solemn features as she thought about the chounin exams and of course, about Naruto's encouragement. The skin on her arms prickled with goose bumps as she recalled what Chouji had told her with distaste in the days following her fight against Neji…_he actually collected your blood in his hand_… Hinata lifted the singlet from its place and proceeded to slide her body into the small garment which she discovered was quite shorter and more restrictive than she had remembered. Nevertheless, she felt fresher and cooler wearing this shirt. Paradoxically, a place inside her felt warmer; wearing this shirt that had experienced so much alongside her. Hinata proceeded to slowly clean the mess that she was surrounded by, but it wasn't long before the door to the snowy veranda slid open swiftly and Kiba's hand could be seen, ushering Naruto and Konohamaru into the room before pulling the door closed behind them.

"Ahhh it is _so_ nice and warm in here!" Konohamaru's feminine form cried happily.

"I wish I'd thought more carefully about this uniform before transfo- _Hinata chan? _" Naruto questioned, brushing his turquoise fringe away from his eyes and squinting into the opposite corner of the room.

Hinata took a deep breath and lifted herself off up of the ground, walking quickly over to the door to greet her guests, feeling slightly awkward, her goose bumps prominent after a wave of icy air had swept through the room.

"Yes…I'm Hyuga Hinata. Pleased to meet you," she said, smiling with as much warmth as she could muster.

"You…y-you…_you_?" Naruto stared dumbstruck at the young woman, unable to believe that this person was Hinata Hyuga.

Hinata found this greeting to be quite unusual and felt quite uncomfortable beneath the woman's wide and gazing eyes. Konohamaru, observing the situation carefully, decided to divert the attention of the bewildered Hinata.

"Hinata san! I haven't seen you in a while, but you seem well enough. I guess you were in the process of cleaning your room?" Konohamaru gazed around the space, slightly sceptical of the cluttered mess and the slight rotting smell that still permeated the air.

"Oh! Yes…well…you see…" Hinata replied, her face turning slightly pink. Then, meeting Konohamaru's eyes for a moment, Hinata furrowed her brow in confusion. "Ah I am sorry…but I can't seem to remember where I have seen you before…"

"Oh! That's easy. The hot springs," Konohamaru replied without hesitation before quickly realising exactly what he had said and who was standing next to him.

Fortunately for Konohamaru, his words had been ignored completely by Naruto, who was thinking of something else.

"Ah…can I please…um…use your toilet?" Naruto asked breathlessly, directing his speech towards Hinata.

After having been given directions, Naruto hurried off in the direction of the toilet, opening and closing the bathroom door swiftly behind him and locking it rapidly, his heart pounding ridiculously. Sitting down upon the toilet lid, Naruto took a few deep breaths. _Poof_. He transformed back into himself. _Hinata isn't Hinata_. The young and timid girl Naruto had once known had acquired a sense womanliness that even Sakura was yet to possess. The image of her clear, pale skin, covered with goose bumps, her undersized shirt and her long, raven-blue hair remained imprinted upon the inside of his skull. Naruto tried shaking his head to rid himself of the image, but it refused to go away, even in spite of his desperate attempts to replace it with images of overflowing bowls of ramen. _What is wrong with you? Stop thinking that way! Good. Be quiet. Yes. Shut up. _Taking a few deep breaths, Naruto regained composure and decided to return to Hinata's room, transforming once again before leaving the toilet. Upon entering the bedroom, he found Hinata and Konohamaru sitting cross-legged upon the tatami matting, engaged in what appeared to be an enjoyable conversation. Hinata was smiling, and to see this rare sight made Naruto smile too. He was glad they had come to visit, even if they were not exactly the guests Hinata had been expecting. They both turned to face Naruto as he entered.

"Ah…oneesan? Your clothing…you changed it?" Hinata questioned politely.

"What were you thinking you baka?" Konohamaru screeched.

"Eeeeh? What are you-AH!"

Naruto, staring down at his clothing, realised that it was orange as opposed to its original blue.

"OH! Well…I…yes! I thought that it might be uh…ahem…good to try a different colour hehe!" Naruto laughed nervously.

Looking directly into Hinata's eyes, Naruto began to feel slightly uncomfortable and squeamish in his stomach once again. Seeing as though another toilet trip was not on the agenda, he walked swiftly across the room and grabbed Konohamaru by both shoulders.

"Ah! Well looks like we've run out of time…um…we will see you soon we're sure dattebayo!"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock as her hand flew to her mouth.

Quickly cottoning on, Konohamaru was the first to speak.

"Oh! That 'dattebayo' thing…that's something this silly woman heard some stupid kid saying in town!" he proclaimed swiftly, pinching Naruto hardly on the leg.

Hinata's hand remained clamped over her mouth, but to Naruto and Konohamaru's relief, her eyes softened. Slowly, she removed her hand and smiled weakly at the two.

"Oh yes. I know that person…the person that says d-d-dattebayo-o…" Hinata gazed determinedly at the floor.

"I bet he'd love you to go and visit him, Hinata chan," Naruto piped up hopefully, rubbing his lower leg where he had been pinched.

"Oh I don't know about that…" Hinata smiled sadly. "I don't think he would mind if I didn't' visit him…"

"How will you ever know if you don't at least try?" Konohamaru offered softly, slightly confused by the melancholy tone of her voice.

Hinata looked up into his eyes. _I need to escape my destructive pattern of thought. _

"Well…I do know that I must leave this room in the morning…the library is a quiet place…I think that is where I will go."

With that statement Naruto's plans for the next morning had been set (unless of course, he was given a mission in the mean time). He was curious about Hinata…he wished only to discover more about her…this person that in his eyes, had been reborn.

**A/N: Please note that chapter seven has been changed slightly if you are not reading this story for the first time .. **


	9. Sticky Situations

Chapter Nine: Sticky Situations

_**A/N: Well here is chapter nine! I hope that you enjoy reading it. Of course, it was much longer than I expected it would be. I just thought I would say how much I enjoy writing about snowy winters, seeing that I am never able to experience them myself!**_

_Chapter Nine: Sticky Situations _

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are. I had to find you, tell you I need you; tell you I set you apart. _

Hinata wasn't too sure what she was there searching for this morning. Sighing, she knew that what she ultimately sought could not be discovered at the Konoha library. However, as she entered the quiet building, her footsteps muffled by the soft carpet, the warmth of several fireplaces enveloping her body, she felt that she had made the right decision to venture from the suffocating atmosphere of her home. Her two visitors yesterday had revived within her a desire to enjoy herself; to depart from her miserable state of inaction and resume her normal way of life. Hinata sat on the ground against a bookshelf in a far corner of the library, watching the pure white snow fall silently onto the gravel outside, and the minute, crystalline snowflakes catch in a spider web spun across the window. As the light poured over her face, she sighed and closed her eyes. As Naruto's arrival approached, Hinata had begun to retract into her cocoon, isolating herself from even her sensei and team members. The past two weeks seemed to have passed so slowly; but yet, sitting in this space, it seemed as though it was only yesterday that Shino, Kiba and herself had met at the library to compile a mission report for Kurenai, when in actual fact it had been over fourteen days previously. Soon after their meeting, Hinata had retreated to her bedroom and her father had declared his daughter 'severely ill'. Tsunade had wished for her to take up a hospital bed, but her father's pride in his own family's traditional medical techniques had prevented this from eventuating. Hinata gazed at the tattered book in her lap with slight apprehension. It had been recommended to her by the librarian who said that it had been well-read by the local kunoichi for many decades. Running her hand across the wrinkled and water-stained paperback cover, Hinata ascertained that it had been borrowed many times. It was the autobiography written by a woman of the Nara clan over one century ago. It was said to be a tale of strength, perseverance, mystery and love. The intelligent woman was said to have been born into the cave of the mysterious mountain elk, and was the original creator of the shadow jutsu. She had proceeded to take a stand against the oppression of the woman within her clan and came to be respected by male and female shinobi alike throughout Konoha. Now, it was a tradition for every infant born into the Nara clan to be exposed to the rainwater that cascades into the cave of the mountain elk as the ice of winter gives way to the spring. Hinata recalled Shikamaru speaking about the tradition as a genin, and at the time, he had viewed it as considerably troublesome. Opening the book, Hinata began to read the borrowing card fastened to the inside of the cover. It appeared that Tenten was the last person to have borrowed the story, over two months ago. Before this, it had been Ino, and before Ino, Sakura had borrowed the book, and then before Sakura…_This is strange,_ thought Hinata. Scanning the list, it appeared that Sakura and Ino had borrowed the book repeatedly, one after the other. Each time one had borrowed it, she had leased the book for only one day before returning it. The next day, the other would borrow the book, and the pattern continued for what seemed to be a week. Hinata frowned slightly in confusion, and began to turn the pages of the book. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary…_Could it be that they were taking it in turns to read chapters?_ This didn't seem likely, as the two were rarely on good terms. Then, for one, fleeting moment, Hinata was certain she saw something peculiar in the margin of one of the pages. Observing the margin closely, Hinata's sharp eyes were able to make out the remnants of a clear ink and within moments she realised that what she was observing was the cramped writing of Ino Yamanaka.

_It's unfair. How come you have been able to train with Tsunade sama? You've come so far…I feel like I have been wasting my time over the past year. _

Hinata turned the page and located a small scrap of paper wedged in between the pages. Sakura's neatly composed handwriting presented itself on the scrap.

_Ino…to write me a note in a book…and Nara Moriki sensei's autobiography at that! Do you know what you are doing when you write on these pages? If you are to reply, please use a paper scrap. _

_The reason I am training with Tsunade sama is because I requested the position of her apprentice. I was prepared and determined to train diligently and for her to push me to my absolute limit. With every drop of blood, with every bead of sweat, with every tear I knew I was lightening my burden on Naruto as a team member. I am beyond determined to prove to myself, and to prove to my sensei and my team members that I am worthy to be a leaf shinobi. I was a hopeless genin…for a while I felt like wallowing in my own weaknesses…but I knew that that was not going to achieve anything. So I just tried my best and trained to my limit. The result has been that I do feel like I have progressed…and when Naruto returns…we'll be setting off to find Sasuke…I'm sure of it. _

Turning the page once more, Ino's reply fluttered to the ground; this time, on a scrap of paper.

_Sakura…sometimes I just…feel useless as well. Sasuke is someone who I care about deeply…bringing him back to Konoha is all I can think about. His face plagues my thoughts every day…and I think of the way he must have grown and transformed over these past years…it scares me. _

_Ino…Naruto, Kakashi sensei and I came to know Sasuke very well...and what distresses me the most is the fact that…despite is cold exterior…his heart was overwhelmed with love for his family. To see him leave for Orochimaru…to know where he is and what Orochimaru is planning for him...my fear is beyond feeling…I feel numb to my knowledge. _

Here, Hinata noticed the paper and been exposed to moisture in some areas. She continued to read.

_Sakura…do you…love Sasuke? _

Hinata's heart beat wildly as she turned the page with a shaking hand.

_I…I don't know how I feel about him anymore. But when I am beside him…or when I was beside him…I felt a sense of lightness in my chest…but for someone so young…I think my mad desire to be close to him was almost unnatural…but it was there… and if you were to ask if I will ever be able release him completely from my thoughts…I think the answer is no. _

Here, there was no reply from Ino. Hinata closed the worn cover quietly and placed the book in her lap once more, staring, her face expressionless, into the snowy morning beyond. The way that Sakura felt…Hinata realised that she was not alone her desire for affection. And yet, Sakura and Ino possessed the additional burden of having to endure disturbing anxiety and feelings of foreboding associated with Sasuke's absence. She inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly, her eyes closing. Could she possibly approach Sakura and speak about this with her? She knew these were private contemplations…but yet…Hinata almost felt as though she was prepared to speak to Sakura about this. To be so forthcoming…could it be taken offensively by Sakura? Hinata lifted herself off of the floor and moved away from the bookshelf by the window, a troubled expression clouding her features. She decided she might visit the genjutsu section in an attempt to clear her mind of these thoughts, for just one moment of relief. It was only then that she realised she had absentmindedly replaced Moriki Nara's autobiography on the bookshelf. Returning to the window, Hinata scanned the shelf for the green cover when-

"You said they were in this aisle? Arigatou bayo!"

Hinata stood up too quickly, her head colliding with the windowsill with a horrible, hollow _bang._

"Ou-" Hinata cried before quickly covering her mouth, biting her finger to ease the pain.

_He's going to find me…he's going to see me! _Hinata pressed herself against the wall and held her breath, urging Naruto to move away. But at the same time, her urge was compromised by her longing to catch just one glimpse of that reckless boy. At that moment, she knew that her will was not strong enough to resist his moving closer. Hinata chanced a glance left, through a gap in the books on the shelf to the aisle on the other side. There, Hinata could see the telltale orange of his jumper and his bright blonde, ruffled hair. She had to leave. Remaining stock still, her eyes scanned the bookshelf carefully for the autobiography; and she found her copy on a lower shelf, a few metres away. Moving soundlessly away from the wall, her heart beating rapidly and her breath catching in her chest, Hinata reached out a sweaty hand for the book, her hand was almost there…and…_Gasp! _Hinata inhaled quickly as Naruto placed his hand on top of her own from the other side of the shelf. _Gasp!_ Naruto was shocked to feel another's skin beneath his hand, as opposed to the book he had been intending to pick up. Hinata daren't move…this moment…this moment was something she would never forget. It lasted only a few fleeting seconds…Naruto removed his hand in confusion and separated a few of the books on the shelf at his eye level to see who was standing on the other side. He caught a glimpse of a raven-coloured head and felt a sharp twang in his stomach.

"Hinata chan?"

"N-Naruto kun!" Choked Hinata.

"Aha! I'm so happy you're here! I was wai-"

Naruto paused, listening to the sound of footsteps moving swiftly away from the parallel aisle.

"Hinata chan?" He questioned the bookshelf to his right quietly.

_She's gone. _

Naruto made his way quickly towards the door of the library, transforming into the young Marimo instinctively as he crossed the threshold and ran into the snowy morning, following in Hinata's stead.

"Hinata chan!" He called, a female voice issuing from his throat.

Hinata turned her head swiftly to see Marimo trudging through the deepening snow towards her. She slowed down and came to a halt, panting heavily.

"M-Marimo san," Hinata panted.

"Hinata chan! Why'd you- ahem, I mean _where_ are you going?"

"Well…I think I am going home now," Hinata replied quietly, catching her breath and staring in a woebegone manner at the snowy ground.

Her close encounter with Naruto had significantly impacted upon her nerves and she was beginning to feel ill. She grasped her left hand tightly. It was still affected by his touch.

"Why don't we go somewhere together? We could go somewhere warm…how about I treat you to Ichi-"

"Marimo neesan! I haven't seen you in so long!" Moegi ran towards Hinata and Naruto, her long woollen scarf dragging through the snow behind her. She came to a sudden halt in front of Naruto before poking him in the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for Moegi chan?"

Moegi laughed. "I'm sorry neesan, but I am disappointed that you haven't been to visit us for tea as you promised you would." Moegi smiled hopefully. "You do look a lot younger than what I remember though," Moegi frowned, placing her index finger on her chin in thought.

"Ah! Well…ah…that's because…"

"Well I guess that doesn't really matter," Moegi interrupted. Then, directing her speech towards Hinata, Moegi continued.

"Hinata neesan! Why don't you come with Marimo neesan and me to the hot spring?"

"Wait! I never said I was going to the-"

"Last week you promised you would do something with me Marimo neesan. And that is the only activity I feel like doing on a day like today. Unless you want to go home and meet with okaasan…I know she would like to see you; after all, you _are_ looking different," Moegi concluded, a troubled expression on her face.

Naruto gulped loudly. _What a choice._

"You don't understand! I can't go to the hot spring! Because ah…well…um…" Naruto spluttered, lost for words.

"You don't have to be shy, Marimo san," Hinata said quietly. "I would enjoy your company. Your kindness to a stranger has amazed me…I suppose I do feel like bathing today…and if you would like to come, we will give you your privacy, please don't worry." Hinata smiled warmly.

Something inside Naruto seemed to melt and his muscles began to relax. _I'll walk with Hinata to the baths, and find an excuse to leave when we arrive,_ thought Naruto.

"Well…I'll walk with you two to the baths, and when I get there, I'll see how I feel. How about that, Moegi chan?" Naruto proposed.

Moegi seemed satisfied with the plan and the three began their walk towards the northern side of the town where the steam from the outdoor baths could be seen billowing high into the cloudy sky. As they drew closer, the air became thick and warm. Laughter was issuing from the outdoor springs and Naruto began to feel squeamish once again. _Wouldn't Konohamaru love this opportunity?_ Naruto thought to himself, grimacing at the thought of Konohamaru's feminine form skipping innocently into the female bath house. _He has probably done this before, come to think of it._ Naruto placed his head in his hands. _No way. I can't do it. I'm not twelve anymore. It's just not right._ He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the idea.

"We're here, you two." Moegi spoke suddenly.

"Ah, okay then, Moegi san. Marimo san, are you-"

"Oh! I just remembered! I have to um…I have to leave! Moegi, I- _oof_"

Someone had placed their hands on Naruto's lower back and was pushing him from behind. It was only then that, turning his head, Naruto remembered that Moegi had been training under Kizune. Moegi pushed him through the door into the bath house where an old woman immediately greeted him and shoved a basket for his clothing into his flailing arms. Looking over his shoulder he saw a group of women gathering at the narrow entrance to the bath house. _Kuso! There's no way I can get out that door now._ Naruto gulped as an image of Jiraya floated to the forefront of his thoughts. _This is for you, Ero Sennin_, Naruto said to himself before proceeding to remove his clothes, with a promise to shut his eyes firmly until his friends had entered the water completely.

**A/N: Please don't worry, there isn't going to be anything rude in here .. You will probably be surprised at where this is going. **

**Also, was it just me that realised the significance of Shikamaru's name? I have become very interested in him after reading the Shippuden manga up to chapter 355. Shikamaru is such an incredible ninja, I respect him deeply. **

**What I was meaning to say is that 'shika' in Japanese is deer! I should have thought about this earlier, especially because the city of Nara in Japan is known for their shika. I certainly saw many of them when I was there (they tried to eat my friend's shirt!). So there you go, Shikamaru Nara! I know a lot of you have probably thought about this before…but oh well, I just thought I would mention it .. **

**Please note that the text in italics at the start of the chapter is from the Coldplay song, 'The Scientist'. **


	10. Teruo and Daisuke

A/N: Ahh

**A/N: Ahh..Finally! I have finished chapter ten! Please also note that I have edited chapter nine…I re read it and felt that it needed to be changed slightly! Thank you everyone once again for your support and I appreciate it every time you take time out of your day to read my story. It means a lot. So thank you. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it! **

_Chapter Ten: Teruo and Daisuke_

_If I could read your mind, I hope I'd find, the same love I have in mine._

Naruto removed his many layers of clothing with amazing speed before heading swiftly for a bath as far away as possible from the reception building, skidding to a halt in front of a small and presently deserted bathing pool in close proximity to the bamboo screening which separated the female and male guests. He clambered into the hot water and proceeded to wade fiercely through the shallows towards the deepest and corner of the bath before sinking low into the cloudy water. Naruto began to blow bubbles nervously through his nose and attempted to cover his eyes with his fringe as Hinata and Moegi stepped out of the reception building in the distance. Luckily, the dense steam and intermingled fog meant that from where Moegi and Hinata stood, Naruto was invisible. Naruto could just make out Moegi's small red head turning from side to side as she attempted furiously to spot him in one of the baths. Fortunately, Hinata had the sense to persuade Moegi to bathe near the entrance to the building to minimise exposure to the cold air and within minutes, the two had settled in a bath a comfortable distance away from him and Naruto expelled a long series of bubbles in relief. He waited for a short while, pondering the best way to escape unnoticed. He knew it wasn't a good idea to assume the form of one of the women currently bathing and secondly, there was no way he could escape alive as the widely recognised Naruko. A few minutes later, two middle aged women, both possessing long black hair and clear grey eyes entered the bath within which Naruto was stewing quietly in one corner. They looked surprised to see that someone else had chosen a bath so far away from the reception building. For a few moments they stood in the shallows; then, the smaller woman called out to Naruto.

"Do you mind if we share this bath with you, young lady?"

_Yes…I do mind actually…_

"Uhm…"

"Did you hear that Risa?" The tall woman questioned her companion.

"I think she said yes," replied the other.

And without another word, the two settled themselves in the warm water and began to converse with fervour. Naruto's initial reaction was of course, to ignore their conversation and concentrate on the now extremely difficult task of getting out of the bath house. However, it wasn't long before particular words within their intense chattering awoke Naruto from his thoughts and he pricked up his ears in interest.

"He's expected to arrive this afternoon. I spoke to Hiashi last night and he's finding it difficult to make the right decision," stated the taller women.

"Well it seems Neji kun would be a more suitable heir…and she will of course be very well taken care of," replied the other confidently.

"Hmm…yes it does seem that way…and I daresay he wouldn't crack a mirror."

Naruto felt his breath catch in his chest. Was this Hinata they were talking about? However, he was never able to find out. Their conversation diverted from the subject soon after and continued on mundanely for at least a half an hour before the women bid him farewell and exited the bath. Naruto seized this moment to check whether or not Moegi and Hinata were still bathing. Much to his relief (and that of his wrinkled hands and feet), the two had retreated inside. Naruto scrambled out of the water and once inside the reception building, dressed quickly before returning his clothing basket and relief…he was out. But now unease regarding the conversation he had overheard began to trickle from his mind and into his stomach. An image of Hinata flashed across his brain as briefly and as suddenly as a strike of lightning. Naruto shook his head. These strange feelings…what were they? They were foreign…new. And although Naruto was maturing at a faster rate than ever before, the irony was that he felt as though his eyes were now opening for the first time. His stomach gave a loud, troublesome rumble.

"No, no! I can't today."

Naruto looked up and out across the street. Iruka sensei was standing on the next corner, speaking to a number of elderly women with long, black hair, each carrying what appeared to be a large bag of groceries. Naruto smiled. Iruka sensei was just the person he felt like talking to at the moment (over a bowl of pork ramen at Ichiraku, of course). He glanced around cautiously before transforming back into himself and making his way towards the gathering. As he drew closer the women turned to look at him, smiling gently, their soft, grey eyes upon him. _They are members of the Hyuga family, just like those women in the onsen_, Naruto thought. Iruka followed their gazes and turned to look at Naruto, smiling his usual, bright smile.

"Naruto kun! I was looking for you! Tsunade sama would like you to report to her as soon as possible. She seems to have a task for you," Iruka stated warmly.

"A task? Do you mean a mission?"

"I'm not too sure of the details. All I know is that she was eager for you to head there immediately."

"Ah…" Naruto sighed. "Okay then."

Naruto sped towards the Hokage's quarters with some apprehension. Under normal circumstances, Iruka would not have hesitated to state that Naruto was being summoned to complete a mission…but now the situation was uncertain…just what exactly was going on?

Hinata had left the onsen with Moegi not long after their arrival. Her encounter with Naruto had once again stirred within her emotions that she felt comfortable allowing herself to feel only when she was alone. Moegi had sensed that Hinata was longing for time to herself and, in a tone of slight annoyance, had bid Hinata farewell. Hinata sighed sadly to herself. She was slowly but surely transforming into more of a recluse than she had ever before been. However then again, the way she felt now was different from the way she had ever before felt. Each encounter with Naruto seemed to stir within Hinata a wave of emotion that was similar, but not the same as the last. When there were weeks that separated their encounters, Hinata's feelings subsided somewhat and provided her with some relief from her anxiety and longing. But when he touched her hand today…it would take a little while now to calm herself. And that is why she was there, at the labyrinth.

In the past, she had implemented the small maze located near the southern boundary of Konoha for training purposes. Today it was deserted. The winter weather was likely to make it an undesirable location for most of the villagers. However, Hinata had often considered the ice crystals and frosted leaves to be one of the most beautiful aspects of the power of winter. She grasped a leaf between her fingertips and felt the small ice crystals melt under her touch. If only she could be so brave as to withstand that of Naruto for longer than one second. She felt angry with herself…but at the same time she knew that self deprecation would not achieve anything. She looked up into the swirling grey clouds and looked straight into the brightest part of the mass, behind which the sun lay. She would not give up. No…that she would not. She would-

"Over here Daisuke! Hurry up, will you?"

Hinata's thoughts were interrupted as a young man of approximately twenty skidded across the wet stone ground of the labyrinth at the end of the passage in which Hinata currently stood and disappeared from view. He doubled back after a few seconds, accompanied by a tall and muscular man wearing a long, black overcoat. He began to walk towards her with a large smile plastered across his youthful face, displaying his pearly white teeth. His golden hair rippled in the slight wind as he drew closer and his round, almond-coloured eyes flashed as he gazed upon the hesitant Hinata. Hinata was not quite sure what to say or do…but before she had the opportunity to assess the situation properly the young man had dropped onto one knee and gently taken her hand, kissing it once.

"Ah!" Hinata exclaimed, recoiling in shock.

The young man let go of her hand with a smile, and stood up once more. He was considerably tall/

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Teruo and behind me here is Daisuke."

Hinata looked slowly up at the large and imposing man standing behind Teruo. He smiled grimly down at her.

"And you…those telltale violet eyes…you are Hinata Hyuga," stated Teruo confidently.

"H-how do you know?" squeaked Hinata.

"Ah…well I have been speaking to your father of late. He invited me here to meet his family. I especially hope that the two of us will have the opportunity to come to know each other very well." He ended slightly pompously, puffing up his chest like a male dove.

Hinata was observing Teruo's finely embroidered, gold cloak and only vaguely registered his words. His appearance was quite unusual for a Konoha villager. Furthermore, it was impractical for a shinobi to be dressed in such a way and Hinata wondered if he was connected to a hidden village at all. Her father disliked guests…so it was indeed odd that he would invite this man, particularly if he was not a ninja.

"Ahh…I see you are curious as to where we hail from," proclaimed Teruo, observing Hinata's confused expression.

"Daisuke and I are from the Water Country. My father is one of the Feudal Lords there and Daisuke here is a member of our hidden village's defence force."

"Oh! I'm pleased to meet you…" Hinata spoke meekly, bowling low.

Teruo gazed down at her bowing figure, his brown eyelashes sprinkled with powdered snow.

"I have no doubt we will meet again very soon, Hinata chan."

Smiling, he waved elegantly before walking past Hinata, a faint smell of honey wafting through the air in his wake. Daisuke followed him placidly, his huge form casting a shadow over the surrounding hedge walls. Hinata watched them walk down the passage…Teruo slipped slightly halfway down the passage and looked over his shoulder to see Hinata watching his progress. His face reddening, he called Daisuke on before exiting the maze…leaving Hinata along with her thoughts once again.


	11. The Task

Why do I feel the way I do

**A/N: Sorry guys! I know this has taken a while to come out, but it is long, so hopefully this makes up for the long time I have taken to write this chapter…school can be very busy in year 11…what can I say, dattebayo TT…Other than that, I made a slight adjustment to chapter 10. If don't want to read over it, I just changed Teruo's appearance slightly. He is now quite tall, as opposed to short. **

_Chapter Ten: The Task _

_Why do I feel the way I do? Originally I thought I knew. But now that you have taken root in my heart I don't know what it is. It is just you. That is all…just you. _

Slightly out of breath, Naruto arrived to see Tsunade, the icy air stinging the back of his throat as he knocked on the door to the Hokage's office and waited impatiently outside, kicking his foot against the wall. A few minutes later Tsunade called out for him to enter, her voice tinged with annoyance rang so loudly through the still air, that if Naruto had closed his eyes, he would have predicted that she was standing right next to him, staring indignantly at his face. Smiling grimly at the familiarity of her irritated tone, Naruto stepped into the office, lit by only the rays of weak winter's sunlight streaming in through the glass windows. Tsunade was sitting at her desk behind a large pile of books, her brown eyes just visible over a particularly large dictionary. A number of empty obentou boxes were scattered around the bin next to the desk, which was at the point of overflowing. Naruto took a few seconds to look around quite calmly at the mess (for his own bedroom was much worse), before launching his first question.

"Tsunade obaachan, Iruka sensei said that you have a mission for me?" Naruto began.

Tsunade laughed somewhat harshly at this.

"A mission? Well to be honest with you Naruto, it's more like a task I would like you to start this afternoon and complete successfully by tomorrow at the latest…" Tsunade finished quite firmly.

Naruto furrowed his brow. _I don't like the sound of this…, _he thought.

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing, Tsunade obaachan?"

At this, Tsunade closed her eyes and smiled in a somewhat apologetic manner, scratching the back of her head in just the way Naruto was accustomed to seeing Kakashi sensei do before he announced something troublesome or regrettable.

"Ahah…well I don't particularly think you are perfect for the job Naruto…but everyone else I considered was either preoccupied or well…they refused…"

"Does that mean I can refuse too?" Naruto blurted out in exasperation.

"Oh well I'm afraid not…you see…you are the last person on the list of people I considered asking. You don't have a choice at this stage…"

Tsunade held up a list of about twenty names, each one with a cross through it, except of course, for his own.

"I see…so that's how it is…" groaned Naruto resentfully. "Yeah, leave the dirty work to me as usual…" he mumbled, his mouth twisting into a somewhat wavy line, his shoulders slumped.

"Listen! It won't be that bad…plus, it's only an overnight task."

"Okay then, what is it?"

Tsunade peered over her dictionary at Naruto so that she could see at least half of his face before continuing.

"Well you see, the son of one of the Water Country's most senior feudal lords has come to visit Konoha, and is accompanied by a large ninja from their hidden village. Your task is to guide the two throughout Konoha. It is important to make a favourable impression upon this representative of the Water Country, so please try to be nice, won't you Naruto?"

"Why is this task so troublesome? Why have so many people turned it down if it's so easy?" questioned Naruto, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Well, this particular young man, the son of the feudal lord I mean, his name is Teruo and he is renowned for being well…making it very difficult for anyone to contain their frustration with him when they spend too much time around him, let's put it that way. And also, the man he is being accompanied by is an elite Nusumi ninja of the Water Country's hidden village, operating under the name Daisuke. Nusumi act in the same way in which our Anbu ninja do. So you see, we must be weary of his activity whilst in Konoha, particularly because our relations with the Water Country are not currently as good as they could be."

Naruto stood stony-faced as he listening to Tsunade. He didn't like the sound of Teruo, but the man going under the name of Daisuke caught his interest. Maybe this wasn't such an unimportant task after all.

"So Naruto," continued Tsunade, "I am trusting that you will watch very carefully over this man as you guide the two throughout the village. I would also like to make it clear that you are not, under any circumstances, to take the two closer to this building than necessary, and Konoha Gakuen, for that matter."

"I understand Tsunade obaachan…but will it really take that long to guide them around the village?"

"I'm giving you more time that you will need to compensate for any adversities you may face due to these…well…difficult guests," Tsunade smiled apologetically before composing herself once more. "Please leave now Naruto. You'll have to meet them by the front gate at four p.m. this afternoon."

And with that, Ton Ton trotted up to Naruto from behind the desk where she had been wallowing in a few newspaper cuttings and head butted him politely in the leg, signalling that he should take his leave.

By the time Naruto reached the entrance to the village at four that afternoon, the sun had already begin to set and the pale blue of the winter sky was slowly relenting to the orange tinge of dusk. As Naruto plodded through the snow towards the meeting place, grumbling to himself about this regrettable task, he looked up to see, at length, Hinata waiting beside the entrance gate and wearing, despite the temperature of the evening, only her purple jumper. Naruto felt his breath catch in his chest again for the second time that day, and stopped in the middle of the street, wondering what to do next. He was still terribly confused about why Hinata's presence was bothering him so…and brought his hand up to his head to knock his palm against his forehead. However, predictably, this did nothing to stimulate his thoughts. So, his mind somewhat blank, and feeling as though he might need to stop off at the toilets, Naruto continued towards the gates. From a distance, he decided to wave to Hinata to see if she would respond. However, she appeared to be scuffling around in the snow with her feet, paying no attention to her surroundings whatsoever. The darkness was falling quite swiftly around them now, and the lanterns decorating shop front windows were beginning to be lit by their inhabitants, their flames winking brightly at Naruto as he trudged past them. Eventually, Naruto arrived at the gate and approached Hinata slowly.

"Hinata?" he questioned in a soft voice.

_Naruto. _

Hinata turned around with amazing swiftness to face Naruto, her eyes wide and frightened. But yet there was no where to hide. There was no fence behind which she could run, and no tree behind which she could shelter herself from his gaze, which felt as hot on her face as the sunlight of a summer's day.

_Go on Hinata san, you can speak to him; you did it two years ago, what is stopping you now?_ Said one voice within her head.

_No, no. You know very well that you can't do that. You'll only disinterest him further from yourself with your dull conversation._ Said another.

Eventually, so confused she felt she might go cross-eyed (if that was even possible), Hinata settled for a mixture of her two impulses. She did not run away, no, she did not. But neither did she say a word. Instead, she just stared up into Naruto's blue eyes, which looked to her, in the evening light, like sparkling puddles of summer rainwater.

Naruto smiled. He was just happy that she had not run away again. At least this seemed a little more like the Hinata he used to know.

"Hey there!" he said cheerfully, scratching the back of his head (or coat hood) out of habit.

Hinata just stood there, staring blankly at Naruto, her mouth slightly open.

"Um, hehe, how are you these days, Hinata?"

Something in the back of Hinata's mind told her to clear her throat and say something. However, just as she was about to do so, a loud and cheery voice was carried on the icy breeze towards the two. Naruto and Hinata looked up to see Teruo and Daisuke heading in their direction. Teruo was bundled in a large, padded golden overcoat and was hurrying along to meet them. Daisuke however, plodded along slowly through the snow behind him, a foreboding expression twisting his sharp features. Naruto smiled. If Daisuke's face was anything to go by, he was feeling that this task was just as troublesome as Naruto himself did. Teruo gave Naruto a bow in Western style, moving one hand elegantly in front of his chest and bending over slightly. Then, he walked over to Hinata and placed his hand on the side of her face, smiling down at her, and a look of affection present on his beautiful face. A few moments later, he removed his hand and strode over to stand next to Daisuke who had just arrived. Naruto had watched this entire greeting in shock and felt slightly indignant about the way Hinata had been greeted. So, when Daisuke was introduced to him by Teruo, it was not completely surprising that Naruto mumbled a disgruntled 'hello' before crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the two with slightly squinting eyes, his mouth pressed tightly shut.

"This is the boy that is going to be taking us around the area with Hinata chan," Teruo was telling Daisuke.

Naruto felt slightly confused, _why is Hinata coming with us?_ He thought. Maybe Tsunade had assigned her to the task as well…although it was strange that she hadn't said anything about this. In any case, Naruto felt it was time to pipe up and get this started.

"Yeah that's right. I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I've been assigned to take you two around Konoha.

So, if you'll just come with me I'll…"

Naruto trailed off. Teruo had taken Hinata by the hand and appeared to be completely oblivious of the fact that Naruto was addressing him. Hinata, from Naruto's perspective, seemed as utterly perplexed as he was by the situation. She turned to meet Teruo's gaze, her eyes wide and confused, before looking away, her cheeks reddening.

"Actually Naruto kun, even though you are here on the Hokage's orders, I would much rather if Hinata chan show us the village," Teruo stated, his tone light and casual.

Naruto laughed coldly.

"Well sorry. But_ I'm_ the one who has been assigned to this task and _I_ will be completing it, dattebayo."

"Haha. You seem to misunderstand me. You were assigned to guide us throughout the village because Tsunade sama was concerned about our trustworthiness. However, as you can see, you really have no cause for concern. Daisuke and I are about as guilty of trickery as one of your male sensei would be of reading romance novels," Teruo finished with what he perceived an intelligent simile.

Naruto snickered at this. "Well in that case, I guess I'll _have _to stick with you, even if I would prefer to just go home."

"You _still_ seem to misunderstand me Naruto kun. But maybe I should put this slightly more simply. We do not need you here, and neither do we want you to be here."

Before this point, Hinata had been relatively silent and calm. However, in spite of her timid nature, Hinata could not stand there holding Teruo's hand while he insulted someone, particularly if that someone was Naruto. She pulled her hand roughly away from his and turned to face him, determined and indignant.

"Teruo sama, Naruto kun is my friend, and I would prefer, if you would like to become my friend, for you to become his as well."

Naruto was taken aback by Hinata's statement. It was certainly quite unexpected, given her fragile state and the person she was addressing. However, he decided that he better make it very clear that he would not be leaving them alone, _especially with Hinata chan_, contributed a soft voice from somewhere inside his head.

"Okay well I think we've made it pretty clear that I will be coming with you. And if you _do_ complain, I might have to write something negative about you down on this task report," Naruto finished, satisfaction present on his face.

However, he may have gone slightly too far. For Daisuke had approached Naruto from behind and was standing menacingly close to him, so close, that Naruto could hear his ragged breathing in his ear. In alarm, Naruto jumped forward and turned to face the ninja.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" He proclaimed.

Daisuke frowned at Naruto. "I want to survey the surrounds of this village." His was voice low and gravel-like.

"Why?" replied Naruto, a trace of suspicion present in his voice.

"That's none of your business, Naruto kun," piped up Teruo. "If my friend Daisuke wishes to explore the forest surrounding Konoha, I don't see why he should be denied such a simple wish."

"Hey, yeah, let's go into the forest. After all, it's not like they've closed the gates for the night yet," Naruto replied in an oddly bright tone. _It will probably be easier to show them around the outskirts of the forest at this rate_, thought Naruto. _In any case, we won't have to talk as much._

So, minutes later, the four had exited the gates to the village and approached the eastern edge of a familiar grove of pine trees, through which one usually travelled on their way out of the city. Naruto lead the group with Daisuke slightly behind him, who surveyed the ground as they walked. Teruo was walking beside Hinata and attempting to make conversation, but appeared to be having little success, which stirred within Naruto a strange feeling of satisfaction. Every so often Naruto would turn to see Hinata staring blankly into the distance, her violet eyes shining in the weak light of the moon, which was casting deep shadows over the dark landscape.

Hinata may have been staring blankly into the darkness, but her mind was anything but at ease. She did not understand the relationship between her father and Teruo. Furthermore, she was confused as to why he was treating her, it seemed, like she was a very close friend. And, despite is glowing beauty and societal stance, Hinata had surprised herself with her confidence around this man. She did not feel the least bit intimidated by his presence, despite knowing that she most probably should.

Her father had summoned her to his room earlier that day to ask her to meet Teruo and Daisuke by the Konoha entrance gates. He of course, did not know that the three had met that morning and had therefore, reiterated their titles to Hinata. However, before Hinata could ask why she was being instructed to meet the two, Hiashi had waved his hand in a dismissive manner, indicating that she should leave him in peace. And now here they were, wondering through the forest outside of Konoha as the darkness wrapped itself around them like a dark and heavy cloak. Hinata turned to look at Teruo, but found that she could no longer see his caramel coloured eyes or his face at all, for that matter. So, she decided she had better say something.

"Oh, um excuse me Teruo sama, Daisuke sama, N-Naruto kun," she choked, "I don't think it is safe any longer to be out here during the evening. You are not familiar with the terrain…and… and it will soon become very cold… here… in the woods," Hinata finished quietly, becoming aware of the loudness of her own voice as it rang through the silent landscape.

She had somewhat expected, by this stage, that Teruo would take her by the hand and proclaim how right she was, and that they must certainly be heading back towards Konoha just about now. However, she was mistaken. Instead, Teruo leaned in close to her, so close, that she could feel his warm breath on her neck and smell his honey scented hair. Then he cupped his hand around her ear and whispered loudly enough so that Naruto would be able to hear from his position a few metres in front of them, "Hinata chan. Daisuke and I like the darkness. We don't want to stop here. No, we want to go further."

Naruto turned around and these words in mild shock. He had been sure that they would want to go back to the village around about now. At this rate, the gates to the village would close and they would be locked out for the night.

"You do realise," Naruto began, his voice tinged with annoyance and frustration, "that if we don't go back now, they are going to lock us out of the village."

"Well let them! We'll camp out here, under the stars," proclaimed Teruo brightly.

Naruto looked up at the sky. It had certainly cleared in the past hour, but not a star could be seen. Then he strode right over to Teruo and attempted to discern the expression on his face, thinking that he must be indeed going mad. Looking up at the sky once more, Naruto realised that, judging by the position of the moon, they had been walking for longer than he had first thought, and it seemed as though camping would be their only option. However, before Naruto had a chance to respond to Teruo's suggestion, the young feudal lord had brushed past Naruto and continued walking. Hinata however, stood rooted to the spot, shivering slightly from cold and fear. Within seconds, Teruo could be heard turning around in the snow to see what had become of his female companion.

"Stop Daisuke," called Teruo softly into the distance.

A second pair of footsteps could be heard coming to a halt in the snow.

"Hinata chan? Are you alright?" Teruo questioned into the blackness.

Hinata did not make a sound. For she did not know how to respond. She wanted, above all else, to return to the village with Naruto kun, and, as soon as possible at that.

"Hinata chan…," Naruto spoke softly into the distance, for he could not see where Hinata stood. "We have no choice but to stay out here tonight with these two. So, would you mind using your byakugan to find us a safe cave or sheltered place to camp in?"

"Oh-I…" Hinata cleared her throat before continuing. "Yes. That would be okay."

_Byakugan! _

Within seconds, Hinata had, to her surprise, located the very lake she had camped beside with Naruto, Kiba and Shino three years ago whilst on a mission to find a stink beetle. There was a small cave beside the lake which was uninhabited, and so, releasing her technique, Hinata informed the group timidly of the lake and they began to head in its direction, under her guidance.

Upon their arrival, Teruo offered Hinata a sleeping place next to his, which she kindly refused, saying that she felt like sitting by the lakeside for a short while. To Naruto's relief, it appeared that Teruo was not one to give up any time for sleeping, and so, while the two Water Country representatives settled themselves down within the small cave, Naruto went to sit by it's mouth, staring across the great expanse of water and listening to soft trickling of the waterfall, which was fed, at this time of the year, by only a thin stream of liquid water. He watched the silhouette of Hinata as she lay upon a dry patch of ground, looking up into the sky. All of the sudden an image flashed into his mind. One of a young woman at this very lake, the woman he had seen years before who had danced so gracefully beneath the waterfall, silhouetted against the moonlight. Naruto shook his head and stared down at Hinata in surprise, as though he were seeing her, once again, for the first time. _That…that was her…_ Naruto looked down at his feet and felt his face prickle warmly. Looking up, he wondered whether he should disturb Hinata's silence to talk to her. After all, they had spoken hardly a word since his return. He knew nothing of her life over the past few years, and she knew nothing of his. He had a sudden urge to share with her all of his adventures and discoveries, and so, feeling as though a worm was squiggling about in his stomach, Naruto left the cave for the lakeside.

Hinata lay there upon the icy ground, shivering slightly as the damp made its way through her jumper and froze upon her skin. However, while it may have been cold, this sensation shied to the feeling within her. It was a feeling of quite subdued happiness; but happiness nonetheless. She had managed to talk to Naruto…and even though it was brief…she had managed to do this. A small smile formed upon her face and she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waterfall and someone's footsteps. _Footsteps._ Hinata sat up and detected, through the gloom that someone was walking towards her. All of the sudden, the moon appeared from behind the clouds and shone upon the approaching person. _Naruto kun._ Hinata sat up abruptly and began to shiver once more, the trace of happiness she had felt moments earlier subsiding to her irrational fears. Naruto came to sit beside her and, sensing that she was shivering, removed his large jumper and placed it over Hinata's shoulders. Hinata gasped as the jacket fell heavily on her back, the smell of stale ramen now enveloping her senses. The warmth of the jacket made Hinata feel as though it had been Naruto himself who was warming her. Naruto smiled down at her.

"Hinata chan. How…how have you been? I haven't really been able to speak much with you since I came back…" Naruto trailed off, unsure of how to continue, for Hinata was staring at him with a look of what appeared to be mingled fear and happiness.

"Naruto kun…I have been good. But you see…I've well, I've…"

_I've missed you. Just say it. You missed him! You know you did! You thought about him very often. _

Hinata attempted to start over.

"N-Naruto kun…I've well, I've…" Hinata lowered her head to the ground, blushing furiously, her heart beating out of control. She was sure Naruto would be able to feel the heat radiating from her face. "I've missed you!" she managed to squeak.

Naruto felt his face prickle warmly once again and wondered whether it was the frost biting at his cheeks that was causing the strange sensation. In any case, Naruto supposed it was too cold to talk for very long out here. He glanced over at Hinata, whose face remained quite transfixed with the icy ground.

"Hinata chan…I guess it's too cold to be talking out here now," he said, scratching the back of his head and smiling awkwardly.

Hinata remained silent; unsure of what to say. Was Naruto rejecting her expression of endearment towards him?

"But before we go back to the cave…I just thought I'd say…I think you're an amazing person, Hinata chan," Naruto spoke quietly, unsure of his words. He raised his head to gaze out across the frozen lake before continuing. "Maybe one day, I can learn more about you…because it seems to me that there's too much I don't know about you…"

Hinata turned to look at Naruto, who glanced sideways at her, that awkward grin appearing once again on his face. And when Hinata met his smile with her own, she smiled with all of her heart. For it belonged to the boy sitting beside her in the snow. It belonged to Naruto.

**A/N: If anyone is wondering about Teruo, he is supposed to be this story's bishie in a way. He reminds me of Tamaki senpai from Ouran High School Host Club, mixed with a touch of Gilderoy Lockhart I think -. The next chapter is on its way, I promise! My school holidays start in a week's time…so I will have plenty of time to write! **


	12. Friends and Foes

Chapter 12: Friends and Foes

**A/N: Hi everyone! Arigatou gozaimasu once again for all of your support! I am very happy that the story is being enjoyed by many. I hope it is bringing a smile to your face as you read .. **

_**Please note that the end of chapter 11 has been changed quite significantly. Please read through it once more if you have not just read it now **__****__**. **_

**I hope you enjoy chapter twelve!! I hope that you find it exciting and fulfilling. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, more so than any of the others so far! Also, please note that I am a really loving fan of Sakura and would prefer if reviewers refrained from making any negatives comments about her. **

_**Some of the jutsu used during this chapter were created by me. There are definitions at the end of the chapter **__****__**. **_

Chapter 12: Friends and Foes

_When the arrow is primed on the bow sooner or later in must be unleashed. _

The following morning, Teruo, Daisuke, Naruto and Hinata had made their way back to the village. A disgruntled Naruto trailed behind Teruo and Hinata as he asked her every question one could possibly think of to do with her byakugan abilities. At first, Hinata had seemed disconcerted by the relentless flow of questions erupting from Teruo like the waters of a newly uncovered hot spring. However, after a while it seemed to Naruto (observing from behind with Daisuke), that she was actually enjoying the attention. _Maybe this is the first time someone has bothered to ask her about her training recently_, Naruto thought. _Kuso! This stupid guy. I was going to ask her all of those questions last night!_ Naruto retorted internally, unwilling to admit to himself that Teruo's social and intellectual finesse was far superior to his own. Naruto would never have thought about asking Hinata questions of such depth, _and like that's all he cares about in the world_, Naruto remarked to himself bitterly. However, even while Hinata walked ahead beside Teruo, she would glance back nervously every so often and meet Naruto's eyes. Naruto would keep his expression relatively nonchalant, but internally he would grin at the fact that Teruo had not demanded Hinata's complete attention. And despite surprising himself mildly by the sense of satisfaction he experienced when Hinata met his gaze, he was unsure as to where this sense of satisfaction stemmed from. Konoha came into view in what seemed to be a short time, considering how far they seemed to have travelled the previous night. The sun had appeared from beneath the clouds and the weak morning sunshine shone upon Naruto's back as they approached the western entrance to the village, causing him to shiver slightly. As soon as they stepped over the threshold into the village, Naruto was ready to grab Teruo by the shoulder.

"Okay. Hinata chan and I have done our jobs now. So get lost, dattebayo," Naruto growled at Teruo.

Teruo laughed softly before speaking. "How rude of you Naruto kun. We do not plan to leave at all. Actually, we have a meeting at the Hyuga residence in an hour. So actually, it might be appropriate for _you_ to make yourselfscarce and leave us with Hinata chan. I'm sure she is capable of showing us to her own house." He laughed briefly again. The malice in his voice was subdued, but assuredly present.

Naruto turned to look at Hinata, his facial expression attempting to communicate 'What in the name of Ichiraku pork ramen is going on here?' and 'Is this all okay with you?' at the same time.

Hinata smiled and blushed pink. She understood Naruto well. Swallowing and looking down and her feet and she scuffled in the snow, she spoke quietly. "Well…I do believe that my otousan has requested to meet Teruo sama and Daisuke san. So please don't worry Naruto kun…it's just fine." Hinata looked up into Naruto's face, taking in a small breath as though unsure of how to continue, a pained expression clouding her features. Then, within one swift motion she had lowered her head and placed her hands upon her legs in a gesture of a small bow, and said "Have a nice day!" before turning to walk quickly, and slightly shakily, in the direction of her home, her raven blue hair playing around her shoulders in the light wind as she retreated, staring determinedly ahead. Teruo and Daisuke took this as their cue to depart the scene and follow in Hinata's wake. Teruo gave Naruto one last, loathsome glare before turning gracefully on his heel and beckoning Daisuke to follow Hinata and himself, leaving Naruto standing alone at the western gate. Naruto sighed and turned to walk in the opposite direction towards his own home, clutching his head. Naruto didn't have a headache…but he did feel terribly confused now. _Hinata chan…she is my friend…but what is this strange response within my stomach? _ A small voice echoing from somewhere within his mind said, _what about Sakura chan?_ Moments later, a familiar voice awoke him from his reverie and he came to realise that he was standing outside the Yamanaka flower shop, and that Ino was standing there in front of him, prodding his cheek with the stem of an asparagus.

"Naruto kun!" she spoke loudly, eyebrows raised, awaiting a response.

"Ah! Hey Ino," Naruto grinned in his usual boyish manner, stepping back a few paces from the asparagus Ino was now waving around in front of her face. "Sorry. It's just that I'm pretty ti-"

"You don't need to explain to _me _why you're here, Naruto kun," Ino smiled deviously. "I know it's Sakura's birthday too, you know," she grinned before dragging him by the jumpsuit into the shop to survey the various flower arrangements.

_Kuso! I completely forgot about Sakura chan's birthday!! _Naruto cursed himself for his forgetfulness.

Ino seemed to notice his dejected expression. She just smiled and laughed girlishly. "Naruto kun. We all know you want to buy Sakura something really great. But if you don't have the money on you, then just buy her something small, like this for example…"

Ino continued her lecture on flower bouquets, but her words had triggered something within Naruto's crowded mind. _Something small….That badge I bought back at the winter festival! Wait…I think it's still here somewhere._ Naruto proceeded to dig into the front pockets of his pants and, amongst an old packet of ramen flavouring, managed to find the badge depicting the legendary ogre of the northern Fire Country.

"So it seems to me that you should choose these red geraniums and maybe a few yellow daffodi-"

"Ino!" Naruto interrupted her spirited speech.

"Yes?" Ino retorted with annoyance, crinkling her nose as she realised that Naruto had not been paying the least bit of attention to her.

"Don't worry about the flowers. I just remembered that I already bought her this!" Naruto grinned, holding up the badge proudly.

Ino took one look at the badge before snatching it from his hands and crushing it with her index finger and thumb, all the while, a look of barely restrained barbarity on her face. Naruto stared opened mouthed at Ino, too shocked and upset to say a word. After she had flicked the deformed badge into the rubbish bin, Ino returned to Naruto's side to whisper into his ear. Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but the menacing nature of her speech could not be ignored.

"So Naruto kun, is that the way you treat the girl you love? What did you mean by buying her such an insulting gift?"

"The girl I…_love_?" Naruto repeated her words slowly and quietly, the volume of his voice just above a whisper. "Ino chan…I…"

But before Naruto could conclude his sentence, Sakura appeared at the doorway of the store. She seemed slightly surprised to see Naruto standing there with Ino, but if there had been the smallest trace of shock on her face, she managed to swiftly compose herself before heading over to join the two. Upon spotting Sakura, Ino jumped back from Naruto and grinned widely.

"Tanjoubi omedetou, Sakura chan! Or should I say Sakura _obaachan_?" Ino teased, winking at Sakura in a friendly manner.

Sakura grinned wryly. "Thanks Ino."

Sakura turned towards Naruto. "Do you want to come with me to the café opposite Ichiraku? I heard they're selling rosewater sweet bean buns. Do you want to come, Ino?" Sakura questioned brightly.

"Err…" Was all Naruto could manage. The thought of eating rosewater sweet bean buns across the road from his favourite ramen (and tsukemen) store pained him, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

"I have to stay here Sakura chan…sorry," Ino winked at Sakura, who responded with a confused expression.

_Gee…you'd think they'd have decided on where they stand with each other by now. _Ino sighed as Naruto and Sakura bade her goodbye and left the store.

But the truth of the matter was that Naruto and Sakura had never spoken of such an issue…

Their conversation had started relatively normally, and Naruto had explained the troublesome task he had been sent on last night with Hinata. Sakura had laughed and told Naruto that they had met Teruo's father years ago on a mission to the Village Hidden In The Mist, and didn't Naruto remember that? Naruto said he didn't. Sakura had frowned. Maybe it had been only her and Sasuke sent on that mission, she said. Naruto's breath caught in his chest for a moment at the mention of Sasuke's name, but then he sighed sadly and looked up at Sakura. She was staring down at her bean bun with an expression to mirror his own. Throughout their lives as shinobi, and even as shinobi-in-training, Sasuke had been there. He was a source of inspiration, of mystery, of jealousy. Sakura and Naruto both knew that they could not could not move on with true purpose into their futures without first finding Sasuke. It was no longer so much a matter of bringing Sasuke back to Konoha, but a matter of stopping him, in a plight to destroy his brother, from destroying his own spirit, his sense of self, and possibly his very life. It was not as though Naruto and Sakura did not believe his Sasuke's abilities…However, they knew of the great power of those he was up against too, as well as that of Orochimaru. Sakura turned to look at Naruto, tears had formed in the corners of her eyes, but a small smile continued to play about her quivering lips. In the end, it was impossible to erase her irrational love for Sasuke from her heart. Naruto and Sakura's faces were very close now. So close in fact, that Naruto could see the speckles of sugar on the end of Sakura's nose, and smell the rosewater on her breath. For a moment they remained there, staring into each other's eyes. In such a situation, Naruto had expected to feel something wonderful, for he had never been this close to Sakura before (as himself) without feeling as though she might clench her glove tightly and punch him in the side of the face. But Naruto felt nothing. Well, nothing out of the ordinary anyway. His feelings for Sakura had become so muddled and confused in recent times, that he was no longer sure what kind of wonderful feeling he had expected to experience in such a situation. Seconds later, Sakura broke the tension of the moment by brusquely brushing away the tears in her eyes and looking up to smile at Naruto with a stronger sense of resolution, as though she had decided to simply enjoy the present moment and Naruto's company. Naruto grinned widely in response to her smile. It was infectious, he certainly couldn't help that. And then, before he was sure of what he wanted to do next, he threw his arms around Sakura and hugged her tightly. Feeling her grab the material of his jumpsuit as she held him close to her made him feel as though a spring of warm tea was bubbling up inside of him and caused his face to flush with happiness. Soon, they broke away from each other, both grinning widely, and began to laugh, relieving the intensity of their actions and lightening their hearts. Silently they had come to an agreement. They could finally be with each other, like this, expressing their love for one another, without feeling as though there may be something more to their actions.

"Happy birthday, Sakura chan," Naruto grinned.

"Thanks Naruto kun," Sakura smiled widely in return, before throwing the last sweet bean bun at Naruto's nose, and leaving a large sugary mark on its end.

"Hey! Watch it, dattebayo!" Naruto protested indignantly, trying to rub the sugar off of his face.

Sakura laughed. "I have to go to the library to pick up some books for Tsunade shishou. Do you want to come?"

Naruto sighed. He didn't see why he shouldn't go. He remembered that Jiraya had asked him to read a few books on chakra manipulation for their next training session. Naruto finished dusting the sugar off of his face and smiled at his friend. "Yeah, I'll come, Sakura chan."

At the library, Sakura went off to search for the books Tsunade had requested. Naruto had offered to help locate them, but Sakura had politely refused, waving her hands in front of her face and grinning nervously as she backed into the shoujo manga section. Naruto smiled knowingly. _Yeah, books for Tsunade obaachan alright. _Just as he was about to follow Sakura silently to see exactly what she planned to borrow, Naruto registered with mild surprise Sai's exit from the next isle along. He had his nose buried in a book with a tattered purple and red cover, his mouth moving silently as he read the words. Naruto walked over to tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey Sai. What's up with you in that girly section over there?"

Sai did not seem to understand Naruto's comment, but nevertheless, he closed his eyes and smiled in his usual, serene manner. "Hello Naruto kun. It is not often that I see _you _here in the library."

Naruto interpreted this as a mild insult to his intelligence, but was in too good a mood to find it within himself to retort angrily. "Yeah well I'm looking for a few books on chakra manipulation."

"Oh. I know where those are," replied Sai calmly. "Follow me."

Naruto followed Sai who had resumed his reading and was leading the way with his head down, absorbed within the pages of the book.

"What is that book about, Sai?" Naruto questioned inquisitively.

Sai looked up in mild surprise, as though he had not expected such a question. He marked the page and closed the book before handing it to Naruto for him to examine.

"How to Make Female Friends in Konoha…" he read, a grin forming on his face. Naruto laughed loudly, causing a number of villagers to look disapprovingly in his direction. Naruto looked up at Sai before lowering his voice to a whisper and saying, "Sai, there's no need to read a book like this. If you want to make friends with girls, you just have to give them presents and spend a lot of time with them…It seems to have worked for me," Naruto finished.

"Well, it says within this book that providing a female with flowers is a good way to become friendly with them. I was considering giving some to Hinata san or Tenten san..." Sai concluded calmly, staring out of the window and into the bright morning light which was streaming into the library aisle.

"Hinata chan…" Naruto's face prickled warmly.

Sai was staring at Naruto with a curious expression. He smiled and blushed slightly, looking down at the book in Naruto's hands before continuing. "I would have given Sakura san a bouquet…but I know that you have reservations about me interacting with Sakura san…"

Naruto was awoken from his momentary daze by Sai's words. "Ah! No, no. Sai…er…I actually think giving Sakura chan flowers would be a great idea, dattebayo! Plus, it is her birthday today, after all."

"Oh…so you do not mind then?" Sai questioned, gazing at Naruto's face intently, as though attempting to interpret his expression correctly.

Naruto shook his head, scratching the back of his head with one hand and grinning, his eyes closed.

"Then…perhaps, would you like to accompany me to the flower store, Naruto kun? You could buy a violet for Hinata san." Sai spoke so calmly, smiling his ever serene smile.

Naruto's eyes flew open at the comment, his face reddening. "Ah…w-why would I want to do that?" Naruto questioned Sai urgently, his eyes pleading for Sai to provide him with a reason why he did, in fact, want to buy a flower for Hinata.

Sai's smile faltered slightly and was replaced with a look of inquisition. Knotting his brow, he looked down at his book before removing it from Naruto's loose grip and turning to the index. "There doesn't appear to be a suitable answer to your question in here…" he said. "I suppose…you will have to discover the answer for yourself," Sai looked into Naruto's eyes, still attempting to decipher the meaning behind his uncomfortable expression. "Naruto kun," Sai spoke after a few seconds of silence. "Are you alright?"

Naruto had suddenly felt the need to ensure Hinata was not having any trouble with Teruo and Daisuke.

"Ah Sai…I'm sorry but I…er…I've gotta go now. I'm er…going to go talk to Hinata chan. Could you say goodbye to Sakura chan for me?"

Naruto rushed from the library and out of sight. Sai was left standing in the aisle, feeling quite confused regarding Naruto's behaviour. However, for the purpose of increasing his knowledge regarding human emotions, he felt it might be useful to follow Naruto and see what happened next. He passed Sakura on the way out of the library, absorbed in what appeared to be a shoujo manga.

"Goodbye Sakura san," said Sai, smiling brightly at his team member.

Sakura gasped in surprise and turn her head swiftly in Sai's direction, hiding the manga behind her back. She grinned at Sai, quite obviously embarrassed by her choice of literature.

"It seems you have found a most interesting selection of stories here," Sai commented, glancing around at the colourful manga covers. "I will remember to come back to his aisle next time…Ah, and Happy Birthday."

However, before Sakura could respond by protest or with thanks, Sai had departed the aisle; prepared to trail Naruto.

At the gates of Hinata's family estate, Naruto's stomach growled louder than it had all day. _Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so many of those sweet bean buns,_ he lamented. Why _was_ it that he felt so intrigued by Hinata? Naruto sighed, frustrated with himself for not being able to answer such a simple question on his own. Had he ever felt this way around someone else before? No, he hadn't. Not even around Sakura chan, or a powerful enemy, he decided. Frowning at the doorbell, Naruto lifted his hand to press it.

"Hahaha! I agree, of course I do! There was never any doubt…" A loud and obnoxious tone issued from one of the ground floor windows of the main Hyuga residence.

Naruto's finger froze in mid air, hovering over the door bell. _That's that guy's voice._ Naruto swiftly and silently hurried around the circumference of the gates and found himself just outside the window from which Teruo's voice had sounded. Inside, Naruto could see Hiashi seated on the tatami mats in front of an ornately decorated tokonoma, complete with a scroll bearing the Hyuga clan crest. Teruo and Daisuke were seated on the opposite side of the room. Teruo was throwing his head back, laughing in an off-putting manner. Daisuke sat as still as a statue, his arms crossed tightly over his broad chest. Naruto stepped back a few paces and to the right, to avoid being seen through the window. Sai appeared behind him and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. His appearance was so sudden that Naruto yelled out when he felt Sai's hand, and tripped over Sai's feet as he moved backwards. Fortunately, Sai had pre-empted Naruto's response and had swiftly placed his hand over Naruto's mouth to muffle the yell. He then released the struggling Naruto, who turned around, looking indignant.

"What was that all about!?" Naruto whispered.

"I want to help you," replied Sai, speaking softly and smiling serenely again.

"Help me with what?" Naruto demanded angrily.

"Well…I was watching you from over there," Sai gestured to a telegraph pole a few metres away, "and noticed that you are attempting to listen to a conversation occurring within the Hyuga residence."

Naruto stared at him indignantly, his ears reddening in embarrassment.

"So what?"

"Well," replied Sai, "I think I may be able to help you gain the information you are wanting."

Naruto smiled, still slightly awkward. "Thanks Sai…this conversation is sort of important to me…I sort of want to know what's going on with the two guys I had to guide around yesterday…and why they were so interested in Hinata chan…" Naruto looked down at his snow covered feet, blushing slightly.

Sai smiled. "I read in a book that if you see a friend in need, the least you can do is help them in any way that you can."

Sai pulled a scroll swiftly from his backpack and unwound it, revealing a complex sequence of kanji and paintings. Forming a seal with his hands, Sai closed his eyes and spoke quietly, a sense of urgency present within his voice.

"_Sumie no bunshin no jutsu_!"

With these words, a large mass of black ink began to rise from the centre of the open scroll. It hung for a moment in the air, before shape shifting into a perfect clone of Sai. It turned its expressionless face to gaze at Sai and Naruto. Sai nodded seriously in response, and the clone turned slowly to face the fence, walking straight through the bars, its ink composition allowing it to do so quietly and with ease. On the other side of the fence, it turned to look at Sai again. Once more, Sai gave it an affirming nod, and the clone proceeded along the side of the house towards the window sill before flattening itself against the wall, apparently listening intently to the conversation inside. The real Sai turned to face Naruto, smiling calmly, his eyes closed.

"Now all we must do is wait patiently here," Sai said.

Naruto nodded, his mouth dry. After what seemed like an hour, Sai's clone turned to face him once more, nodding once, a slight smile playing at the corner of its mouth. At its signal, Sai dispelled the clone with a further hand seal, releasing the jutsu. For a moment he bowed his head, and Naruto knew he was processing the information he had been able to gain from the clone. However, when he lifted his head swiftly seconds later, Naruto could see the urgency of his expression. Sai turned to face him, his eyes wide.

"What did they say?" demanded Naruto. His heart was beating rapidly.

Sai's eyes softened slightly. "Hiashi san is considering sending Hinata san to the Water Country."

Naruto felt his stomach pang with anxiety. "WHAT? _Why_?" Naruto moved away from the fence slightly, realising that he had spoken much too loud.

"Well, according to the information collected by my clone, and according to my own sources and research, there is a civil war occurring at the moment in the Water Country. According to the man Teruo, currently inside with Hiashi, the feudal lords experienced a number of severe disagreements, and the result was the development of a war between the two factions of the community: those who are in agreement with his father, one of the two daimyo, and those who believe in the guidance of the second daimyo, a woman named Tsukishima. It seems that the Tsukishima clan leader once experienced direct conflict with Hiashi san and damaged, in some way, his fierce reputation."

"But…what does any of this have to do with Hinata chan?" Naruto questioned.

"It appears that the man Teruo wishes to use the fact that the Hyuga clan and the Tsukushima clan are on ill terms to his advantage. He plans to use Hinata san's byakugan abilities in battle, an ability long feared by the Tsukushima clan...a clan that much resembles one known throughout the Hidden Cloud. It appears that at one time, the clan of the Cloud attempted to learn the secrets of the byakugan and caused a large amount of unrest throughout the Hyuga clan as a result of Hiashi's response to the outside threat…" Sai finished, his eyes fixed on Naruto, as though relying on Naruto's reaction to determine how he, himself, should react to the news.

However, Naruto found himself unsure of how to respond to this information. At first, he felt nothing. His mind was blank and absent of emotion as he listened to Sai, his eyes unfocused. Sai took in a small breath, and continued.

"Hiashi san is considering allowing Hinata san to go. He believes it will strengthen her abilities as a member of the Hyuga clan and allow her to prove herself a worthy Konoha shinobi. He says that she will, for once, be able to be of use to someone." Sai paused for a moment, a ponderous expression on his face. "It also appears that he is seeking to aid, through his daughter, Teruo and his father in prevailing over the Tsukushima clan. However, he has chosen to inform his clan members that Hinata san is considering courtship with Teruo… This may be to prevent suspicion of his vengeful, as opposed to civil spirit…after all, as the leader of a clan he must remain under control of his irrational thoughts and impulses…I read that in a useful manual last week," Sai contributed as an afterthought.

Naruto remained silent. After a number of seconds had passed, anger began to boil inside of his chest, and he clenched his teeth and fists. The overwhelming injustice of the situation made Naruto feel as though scalding bubbles of liquid were bursting inside his stomach, threatening to push their way up and into his throat. _How could a father do this to their child? Does Hinata chan even know about any of this?_

"She…could be killed," Naruto uttered with difficulty, his teeth clenched tightly.

No. He wouldn't let this happen. He couldn't let this happen to his friend, to his comrade, to Hinata.

Moments later, the sound of a gate opening at the front of the estate caused Naruto and Sai to turn swiftly in the snow to face the noise. Footsteps could be heard treading softly across the icy ground, the snow melting rapidly due to the sun's appearance in the sky after days of swirling, deep grey clouds dominating the sky. It was Teruo's irritating tone which caused Naruto set off at a run towards the front gates, Sai following swiftly in his wake. Once the pair (Teruo and Daisuke) were in sight, Naruto launched forwards, heading straight for a stunned Teruo.

"Okay, I've had enough! _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Naruto growled ferociously.

Swiftly, Daisuke dived in front of the young feudal lord, forming a hand sign and crying, "_Ninpou, Juuryoku no Hankou no Jutsu_!"

With this, Naruto, as well the several clones he had summoned were lifted several metres off of the ground and suspended in mid air. Two of the clones continued to struggle towards Teruo and Daisuke, but found that the most they were able to do was to tread with futility in the icy air. Naruto, having never experienced such a technique in the past, was unsure of how to react to the situation. He glanced down at Sai, who was watching from the ground, an expression of mild surprise on his face.

"Sai!" Naruto yelled. "Do something!"

At these words, Daisuke glanced over at Sai, who was now running towards him, pulling his scroll and paintbrush from his backpack. Turning back to Naruto, he made a swift motion with his arm and sent Naruto and his clones soaring high up into the air, before bringing his arms down sharply by his sides, and in doing so, releasing the jutsu, causing Naruto and his clones to tumble with great speed back to earth, landing heavily in the snow. Naruto picked himself up quickly, clutching at his side as Sai cried, "_Chou Juu Giga_!" and sent a series of beastly ink drawings towards Daisuke. The Water Country ninja responded by summoning a number of rocks approximately the size of a human head, asteroid-like in appearance and burning with purple flames. The small asteroids darted towards the ink drawings, easily eliminating the beastly figures.

At that moment, Hinata returned to the estate after purchasing a number of medicinal items from a vendor in the village. Upon encountering the scene taking place in front of her home, her initial reaction was to drop what she was holding in shock, her eyes wide and anxious. However, upon observing the scene more closely, Hinata knew what she had to do, even if it would displease her father. Discarding the medicines, Hinata bounded towards the estate, summoning her Byakugan as she ran and coming to a halt a number of metres away, behind a large cart piled with umbrellas. She positioned herself beneath the cart to observe the scene before taking action.

Naruto had run towards Daisuke once again, summoning more bunshin this time. It appeared that he was preparing to use the rasengan, and Hinata could see, implementing her byakugan, a number of bunshin lying in wait out of sight behind her neighbours' home. This time, Daisuke yelled, "_Tsuchi no Saikuron no Jutsu_!", and threw a handful of earth into the air from a purse on his belt. The earth remained suspended in the air, whirring in a circular motion similar to the way in which the clouds of a hurricane move through the sky. Within moments, a dust storm had been created, and Naruto and Sai found themselves trapped in the thick of it. It was impossible to see anything from their position, and they covered their eyes and mouths, coughing and spluttering as the fine particles of dirt lashed across their faces. Hinata observed as Daisuke swiftly removed himself from the small area of churning dust and earth, jumping backwards to control the jutsu from afar. Hinata watched the figures of Naruto and Sai struggling within the dust storm, and then turned her eyes on their attacker. _What?!_ She inhaled sharply in surprise as she observed Daisuke's chakra. It appeared to be increasing at a phenomenal rate. _The technique he is holding should be decreasing his chakra flow, but it appears the opposite is happening! _Seconds later, the clouds came to rest over the sun, blocking out its direct glare. Hinata, continuing her observations of Daisuke, noticed that now his chakra flow had halted its growth, and was slowly decreasing.Daisuke glanced menacingly at the sky now shrouded in wispy clouds and released his earth cyclone jutsu. Naruto and Sai opened their eyes quickly and resumed action. Sai flew at Daisuke, opening a new scroll as he ran and scribbling a number of kanji onto it before placing his hand over the kanji and speaking loudly and clearly to the scroll.

"_Kuchiose no jutsu_!"

A large black panther leapt from the scroll and onto the ground next to Sai, running towards Daisuke. Naruto's bunshin had appeared from behind the Hyuga's neighbours' house and were running towards Daisuke from the opposite direction. Hinata smiled. Daisuke appeared trapped. But then, Hinata's eyes widened in shock as she detected a new source of chakra emanating from below the snow. And, before she could determine who or what it belonged to, a number of the small asteroid like rocks shot up from beneath the frozen ground, hitting Naruto's remaining clones. Now the asteroids were heading towards Sai, Naruto and the panther. They appeared to be infused with Daisuke's chakra. Naruto managed to dodge the asteroids, and the panther ran to shield Sai from their purple flames, dousing them in ink which poured from its mouth lined with sharp teeth. They seemed to lose momentum after this and rocketed to the ground, skidding to a halt in the snow. Naruto was running towards Daisuke again. Suddenly, the sun made a reappearance in the sky and a wide grin spread across Daisuke's face. _Ah! It's happening again!_ Hinata noticed that Daisuke's chakra flow had once again, begun to increase at a rate of astounding speed.

"_Juuryoku no Hankou no Jutsu_!"

Once again, Naruto and this time Sai as well, were levitated in mid air. Daisuke, grinning nastily and bearing his yellow teeth, raised his hands into the air, causing Naruto and Sai to soar further upwards, just as before. However, instead of lowering his arms, Daisuke opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Did you two kids really think that you could, even as a combined force, successfully oppose an elite ninja, responsible for ensuring the safety of a feudal lord?" He spoke harshly, his teeth bared. "You obviously don't-"

But before he could say another word, the sun disappeared once more behind the rapidly moving clouds and Teruo called out to Daisuke from his position a number of metres away, crouching timidly beneath a tree. "Daisuke! Look out!"

Daisuke looked up at the darkening sky, his eyes widening, and quickly released the jutsu. Naruto summoned a number of clones who managed to create a human ladder and catch him as he fell. Sai quickly drew a large bird onto whose back he landed. Together, they glided to the ground, coming to a halt beside Naruto and his clones. Hinata frowned. Daisuke's chakra flow had returned to normal once again. Hinata observed as Daisuke reached into his pouch of sand once more, preparing to utilise his soil cyclone technique. Sai, with the aid of his bird, managed this time to prevent becoming trapped in the soil storm, and flew at Daisuke from behind. However, several more asteroid-like rocks came soaring through the ground and into the air, striking the bird's long tail and causing it to wobble slightly before falling out of the air. Sai jumped from his bird to the ground and ran at Daisuke from behind as the cyclone consumed Naruto and his clones. Daisuke's chakra store was depleting at a rapid rate now, and Hinata was sure that he would no longer be able to maintain both the asteroid jutsu as well as the dirt cyclone technique simultaneously. It was her turn to move, and she had an idea. She ran towards Sai who was currently painting a further series of symbols onto his scroll. Glancing to the left, she noticed Teruo's eyes following her movements closely.

"Distract Teruo!" She cried as she ran past, heading straight for Daisuke.

Daisuke had his back turned away from Hinata, and the small burning asteroids that flew towards her were moving much slower now, and proved quite simple to either dodge or crack with her swift, chakra-negating hand movements, her Soft Palm. But now, Hinata used all of her strength to take Daisuke by surprise and push him headlong into his own dirt storm, sending her palm straight between his shoulder blades and causing him to lose his balance and stumble forwards. Hinata knew he would release the jutsu, but just a few moments within the dust storm was enough for her to realise what the key to Daisuke's chakra regeneration was: a light source. _He utilises solar power…I've never seen anything like this before._ Smiling devilishly and in a manner most unlike herself, Hinata delivered a series of devastating hits to Daisuke's back utilising Juken. As the dust dissipated, Hinata saw Sai in her peripheral vision, attempting to keep Teruo occupied and prevent him from warning his companion of any imminent attacks initiated by Naruto or Hinata. Speaking loudly, Hinata called upon Sai to aid in finishing Daisuke.

"Sai kun! Please draw a large storm cloud, as large a cloud as you can! Please send it to cover the sun!"

Naruto, who had picked himself up off of the ground, was staring awe struck at Hinata. He didn't quite understand what she was planning, but her initiative was hopeful. He ran towards Daisuke, eager to help Hinata to subdue him. Sai had followed Hinata's orders as swiftly as possible, and now, as Naruto and Hinata fought against Daisuke using their taijutsu, Hinata noted that, even in spite of her attacks to his chakra channels, his flow was decreasing at a phenomenal rate. _Daisuke's levitation jutsu and controlling those asteroid rocks required the use of a large amount of carefully controlled chakra, _Hinata noted_. _As Sai's large, dark cloud came to settle over the sun, throwing their surroundings into shadow, Daisuke clenched his teeth and continued to fight using taijutsu ability only, but his exhaustion was obvious, and his movements were slow and lacking in technical ability. Naruto glanced briefly at Hinata, and she nodded; it was time to end this. Creating one clone to assist him, Naruto delivered the final attack.

"RASENGAN!"

Daisuke flew backwards several metres and skidded across the icy ground. Hinata and Naruto approached Daisuke, followed closely by Sai. He now lay still in the snow, overwhelmed by the rasengan strike. Surprisingly, he was conscious. Hinata stepped forwards, a grim expression on her face.

"Please do not underestimate my friends, Daisuke san."

Daisuke lifted his head slightly to stare, bleary eyed, at Hinata. "So this is the ability of the Byakugan," he said, his low voice gruff and drowsy.

Hinata blushed, and turned to face Naruto and Sai.

"Hinata chan…" Naruto spoke softly. Looking into Hinata's eyes he felt slightly uncomfortable, but the fact that Hinata had not shied away from his gaze was a surprise in itself. A warm sensation began to filter throughout his body, starting at his centre and travelling to his every limb. It felt as though he might be a genin again, and that Hinata and himself may have just completed a mission together…but somehow, something was different now. Naruto grinned widely before continuing. "It was great to see you in action again, dattebayo," he said, his hoarse voice warm.

Hinata grinned and felt her spirits soar. "Thank you…Thank you Naruto kun!"

Sai, Naruto and Hinata turned towards the Hyuga estate, Naruto glancing back at Teruo, who was still cowering beneath the tree in the distance. They would have to tell Hiashi about this incident

_Sumie no bunshin no jutsu – Ink Drawing Clone Jutsu_

_Juuryoku no Hankou no Jutsu – Gravity Defiance Jutsu_

_Tsuchi no Saikuron no Jutsu – Earth Cyclone Jutsu_

_Juken – Gentle Fist_

**A/N: ****I would love your review, if you wouldn't mind! . **

**I thought I would also let you know, for those of you who would prefer to use Deviant Art for reading this story, that I also have an account there and have posted Change in the Winter Wind there! **

**My username is **_**rosycat**_**. Look me up if you like -! **

**Also, just quickly, something concerning has come to my attention and I just wanted to clear this up before beginning the next chapter. I have discovered that even though I was thinking of Gilderoy Lockhart from **_**Harry Potter**_** and Tamaki from **_**Ouran High School Host Club**_** when I invented Teruo's appearance and personality traits (although Tamaki is such a beautiful person), Teruo could also be interpreted as very similar to the vampire in **_**Twilight**_**. Now, this is was definitely not purposeful. I am not a fan of these novels at all…so please know that I did not purposefully design Teruo's appearance based off of this character. **


	13. The Illness

Chapter 13: The Illness

**A/N: Hello!! I can't believe that it's been so long since chapter 12! Time seems to fly by so quickly when you are busy at school! And now that I'm half way through my final year, it has never been quite so busy. But I was excited to write this chapter during my autumn holidays! Yay! And so, here it is. I suppose you could say that I was overjoyed by one of the most recent chapters of the Shippuden manga. I won't spoil it for anyone that hasn't read it…but I will say that there is a definitive NaruHina moment that is not to be missed out on. Thank you once again for all of your support! I never cease to be overwhelmed by the response to this story! It's just so great to know that so many can relate and enjoy it. Have a beautiful spring or autumn (while Konoha, at least in this story, is still submerged in an icy winter!). ******

***Lyrics at the start of the chapter are from a song called 'World Without You' by Tammin. **

**-Zabuton are Japanese cushions and shoji are rice paper screens. **

_Imagine a world with no sky, imagine the ocean run dry, imagine then you'll see the view, of a world without you. Imagine no sun and no rain, imagine that each stayed the same, it doesn't matter what I'd do, in a world without you. _

Why was the thought of unrequited love such a confusing prospect? Hinata supposed there must be many reasons. Sometimes the desire to experience love in all its completeness resonated so powerfully throughout her thoughts that she could hardly hope to escape the enduring feeling of emptiness in her heart (which seemed to manifest itself in the pit of her stomach). Hinata was unsure as to why she could not overcome the psychological barrier she had constructed in order to reach out to the object of her affections without restraint. She had known Naruto since she had first entered Konoha Gakkou so many years before. She had fought beside him many a time, and had experienced his company on so numerous an occasion that to remember their every encounter would be impossible. Now, sitting less than a metre from the boy within which her heart had made its home, she sat with her spine no less rigid in its upright position than if the icy cold of the outside had caused it to freeze. She, Naruto and Sai had entered the formal study within her family's large estate to await the menacing company of her father. Naruto and Hinata knelt upon two zabuton towards the front of the room, and Sai sat slightly behind them, smiling mildly, his expression concealing any inner thought process that might be taking place. All was silent. The few words Hinata had exchanged with Naruto that day seemed to mark her conversational limit. She moved her eyes slightly to the right to observe Naruto's profile, whilst keeping her head facing straight ahead. An absent expression was playing about his features. Turning her eyes back towards the front, she sighed quietly. _Hinata!_ She struggled with herself. _Say something! He is in your house after all!_ The thought of her father admonishing Naruto and Sai made her feel slightly sick. _What will Naruto kun think of me if otousama is cruel to them? _

Meanwhile, Naruto was experiencing a similar internal struggle. His absent exterior expression was replaced by one of curiosity as he turned his eyes discreetly to the left, observing Hinata's profile, from which the colour appeared to have drained. _I wonder what's wrong with Hinata chan? I should probably say something…but my tongue feels clumsy! Argh! Get it together Naruto! Dattebayo! _Naruto, squinting, took his hand to the back of his head, scratching it in a way that gestured concentrated thought. He gulped and turned to face Hinata. He opened his mouth.

Hinata, from the corner of her eye, saw what was going on, and prepared herself for the effect that his speech usually had upon her stomach, her emotions, and the colour of her face…a number of seconds passed by…Naruto's face was still turned towards her and his mouth was still open, but he wasn't saying anything.

Naruto felt his open mouth drying rapidly as the words he had thought would flow into the room quite easily failed to navigate the path between his brain and throat. _Now would probably be a good time to close your mouth…_He thought. And that is what he did. He closed his mouth and turned back towards the front of the room without uttering a single word.

The tension in the room was now palpable. Hinata wasn't sure that she would be able to sit next to Naruto for much longer before reaching out to grasp him tightly to her body. She longed to feel his warmth upon her skin and breathe in the stale scent of ramen on his jumpsuit. And Naruto still was unsure as to why he had been rendered incapacitated by Hinata's presence, when he had spoken to her so easily the night before. Her developed fighting ability had left him in awe, but it also seemed to have made it almost impossible to talk to Hinata without his heart initiating a wild, energetic and uncomfortable dance inside his chest. Their first collaboration in battle for three years seemed to have intensified the feeling of illness he was now beginning to associate with the kunoichi kneeling beside him. He turned to Sai for help, a pleading look upon his face. Sai smiled back at him, but then opened his bag and pulled out the worn book he had shown Naruto at the library that morning: _How To Make Female Friends in Konoha. _He opened the book at the index, his eyes moving rapidly as he scanned the page. Then he turned to a section close to the beginning and began to observe a diagram, a look of intense concentration upon his face as he did so. Naruto stared desperately at Sai, wondering if he was going to do anything to help him. A few moments later, Sai closed the book and looked at Naruto seriously.

"May I have a word with you after we leave the Hyuga residence, Naruto kun?" He asked.

Naruto cleared this throat and gulped loudly before replying with "Uh yeah, okay."

Hearing Naruto's voice made Hinata's insides squirm slightly. And as she continued to face the front of the room, the colour returned to her face in spite of her concern regarding her father's imminent arrival.

Naruto too, was now facing the wall scroll directly in front of him once more. Had Sai discovered the name of Naruto's illness? _The last thing I feel like doing is going to see Tsunade obaachan tonight…_Naruto grumbled internally. However, if there was a solution to these strange feelings to be found at the hospital (the lair of Tsunade obaachan), he would just have to go. As having such trouble conversing with Hinata chan was a problem that Naruto was sincere in wanting to rid himself of. And it seemed to him that these difficulties were most probably a symptom of a strange illness that could be cured with a simple medicine.

Suddenly, the sound of sliding shoji screens announced the presence of Hiashi. He walked into the room, his face as stony as the floor of the Konoha labyrinth, his eyes chinks of solid ice. He sat to face the three of them. For a moment all was silent. Then Hiashi began to speak.

"I have just spoken to Daisuke san and Teruo sama." He said. His voice was hard and restraining a tone of intense anger. "Even in the case of severe provocation, you, Naruto Uzumaki, had no right to commence battle with my guests!" His loud, cutting tone rent across the still air of the room.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply in self-defence, but Hiashi was faster.

"I will never tolerate such behaviour from someone of your lowly status ever again! Do you understand? Next time, you will be apprehended by my men and subjected to severe punish-"

"OTOUSAMA!" Hinata cried, her voice overwhelmed by emotion as tears begun to form in the corners of her eyes. _How could he? How could he speak to Naruto kun in that way? _Hinata was angered beyond anything she had ever experienced. She clenched her fists and stood up swiftly, the blood returning to her legs after kneeling for so long caused her to stagger slightly to the right, bumping softly into Naruto's arm with her leg. However, in such a state of anger, Hinata was beyond noticing such a thing.

"Otousama…you-"

"I know what you are going to say Hinata. And sit down!" Hiashi cut harshly through his daughter's speech. After Hinata had recommenced kneeling upon her zabuton, he continued: "I have decided, that after watching your fighting ability from a window in the conference room just then, and seeing the immature and incompetent way in which the Water Country representatives responded to your friend's unnecessary advances," he paused to glare nastily at Naruto, who narrowed his eyes and met his menacing stare determinedly, "that you are not to see Teruo sama again." He finished with resigned and more subdued tone before sighing and closing his eyes, turning his face towards the floor.

Naruto gasped. "What?! So you mean that Hinata isn't-OUCH!"

Naruto twisted swiftly around to see what had bitten him sharply on the backside. It was a small ink spider. He turned to look up indignantly at Sai, who smiled back at him serenely, his eyes closed. Naruto turned back to the front, sighing himself. _Probably not a good idea for this guy to know we were listening to his conversation,_ he concluded.

Hinata, confused, turned back from staring worriedly at Naruto's cry of pain to look at her father. "Otousama…" She began, her voice quieter now. "Wh-what were you planning for me and Teruo san?" However, after posing the question, Hinata knew immediately that she did not want to know the answer.

Hiashi, his head still lowered towards the floor and his eyes in shadow, clenched his fists tightly in his lap.

"Now that the plan is not going ahead, I see no reason to inform you of any arrangements drafted," he said in a tone of dangerous calm. "The incompetence of Daisuke, a respected member of a hidden village defence force, has proven to me the worthlessness of the Water Country ninja," he spat, his face contorted into an ugly expression.

However, before he could continue on, the shoji door to the long hallway slid open once more, and a maidservant poked her head in.

"Excuse me for interrupting Hiashi sama, but Tsunade sama has sent an urgent message to the chounin of the village to meet in the Konoha library at three o'clock sharp!" She finished, breathless and blushing slightly.

Hiashi looked up at her and nodded once, signalling for her to excuse herself. As the small woman carefully slid the door closed, he turned back to face the three chounin kneeling in front of him.

"Go. Now." Hiashi commanded in a tone of poisonous calm.

Naruto, Sai and Hinata got up slowly from their zabuton. Naruto and Hinata were stilling watching Hiashi closely, who had recommenced watching the floor. Naruto was glaring at him with frustration and anger, but Hinata gazed sadly at this man she knew to possess an ingrained sense of self hatred at his core. As the three exited the room, Hinata and Naruto looked towards each other at the same moment, and upon meeting each other's glances, both looked quickly away, flushing red with equal intensity, smiling wryly all the same.

As much as Naruto wanted to hear Sai's diagnosis of his illness, (as he was sure that this was what Sai had wanted to talk to him about), he knew that now was not the time. Tsunade obaachan wanted to see all of the chounin present in the village; and so whatever the purpose of the gathering was, it must be of considerable seriousness. However, upon arriving at the library, Hinata, Naruto and Sai found all of their fellow chounin sitting cross-legged around Tsunade in a circle, apparently listening to her as she read from a book. Naruto's mouth dropped open in shock. _What in the name of Ayame's famous tsukemen dipping noodles is going on?_ Was the question he was prompted to ask himself. Sai went to sit next to Sakura, pulling a few squashed daffodils from his bag and handing them to her nonchalantly, all the while smiling so serenely that Naruto was caused to scowl. _Some people have such an easy time of things_, he thought to himself, remembering Sasuke with a pang of muddled emotions in his stomach. Sakura grinned and took the daffodils from Sai before turning back to Tsunade, who had paused her reading until Naruto and Hinata sat down. However, in the moment it took them to realise why she had stopped, all of their friends had turned their heads silently to look at Hinata and Naruto curiously.

"Oh! Ahahah!" laughed Naruto loudly, grinning and scratching the back of his head, his eyes closed as he rapidly sat down upon the floor beside Lee. Hinata blushed furiously before sitting down next to Naruto and Chouji.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Anyway, as I was saying before these three came in _late_, this afternoon and tonight the library has been reserved for the chounin of Konoha. You will be staying here overnight, and once I am finished reading this essay on the history of ninjutsu in the Fire Country, you will be set a research assignment to be completed by tomorrow morning. We will then combine our findings. The aim of this exercise is to create a detailed profile of the Fire Country resources, and the special abilities of the clans within this nation. This will later help you on your missions throughout the region and will improve your research capacity and ability to use the library _effectively_." At this, with one eyebrow raised, Tsunade turned to look disdainfully at Kakashi, who was standing in a distant corner. Of course, he did not notice this. His nose was buried in a special addition of _Icha Icha Tactics_.

That afternoon and evening had proved to be an enjoyable one. Naruto had been set the task of researching the most prominent and successful crops grown throughout the country, and evaluating the viability of their continued use into the future. He enjoyed this task because he could learn about where Ichiraku ojiisan sourced the wheat for his ramen. He almost forgotten about his illness completely; that is, until Sai came to work alongside him. The presence of his pale team member had caused him to remember the conversation that they had never had earlier that day.

Naruto cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the mouth-watering pictures of Fire Country ramen and gyouza from the _Good Food Guide_ book he had discovered before speaking in a hoarse whisper.

"Hey Sai," he started.

Sai turned towards him, a curious frown upon his fair face. "Yes, Naruto kun?"

"Um…ah…ahahah," Naruto laughed, embarrassed at the situation, and scratching his head again. "Um…can you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about before we left Hinata chan's house?"

Sai stared at Naruto, expressionless for a moment, before smiling.

"Of course." Was his reply.

Once again, he pulled out the tattered copy of _How To Make Female Friends in Konoha _and turned to the page he had studied previously. He turned the book towards Naruto, who looked down to see the start of a chapter entitled:

_Congratulations! You Are Officially In Love. _

Naruto gulped, feeling his face prickle warmly. "S-Sai…I thought you were going to tell me something about curing my illness?"

Sai gazed at Naruto placidly, lowering his head towards one shoulder in an expression of curiosity.

"What illness?" He said.

"Uh…I…" Naruto gulped again, his throat dry.

Sai smiled. "Naruto kun. You don't have an illness. I have been doing a vast amount of reading over the past few months and understand from the guide books, that your behaviour is an indication of your love for Hinata san."

Naruto closed his eyes shut tightly and scratched the back of his head. He laughed nervously.

"Oh…gee…dattebayo." Was all he could manage to say.

Meanwhile, Hinata had been set a task with Sakura. They were to research the most exclusive hot spring facilities of the Fire Country, for the purpose of defining popular destinations for wealthy criminals. They worked together well, and Hinata felt more relaxed than she had done in while, with Sakura by her side, smiling warmly and encouraging her good work. As Sakura browsed through a volume of _Onsen Times_, she came upon a page that caused her to break out into a wide grin and laugh a little. Hinata looked up curiously from her own book, expecting Sakura to explain the cause of her laughter. Sakura lifted her eyes from the page to smile at Hinata.

"I have a few fond memories from visiting this onsen in the north of the Fire Country," she started, her eyes returning to gaze at the photographs on the pages of Onsen Times. "I'm starting to feel nostalgic looking at these pictures…" she finished, her voice warm.

Hinata gulped, her throat was a little dry, but she decided to continue on with her speech.

"Did…well…did N-Naruto kun ever go there?" Hinata asked, her voice barely audible above the sound of the chounin throughout the library frantically flipping through the pages of large volumes.

Sakura returned her gaze to Hinata, her face first expressionless, but then breaking out into a knowing smile as she raised her eyebrows. Sakura leant over to elbow Hinata, winking at her and saying: "I thought that this might come up!"

Hinata gasped and turned to stare at Sakura in panic. "S-Sakura san…I-"

"No need to explain Hinata chan," said Sakura, smiling at her warmly. "Are you planning on talking to Naruto kun about the way that you feel?"

Hinata lowered her head towards the floor, saying nothing. Her heart was beating quite out of control and she was unsure of how to reply to Sakura. The truth was that she had wondered, over the past day, if it was possible that Naruto, even if it was just in the slightest, would not wholeheartedly refuse her advances, but rather, respond positively to them. She had come to believe that this might be possible through observing his strange behaviour in her presence. She could not clearly identify the exact actions of Naruto that had led her into believing in an idea that she previously considered unbelievable…but there was something playing about her mind which told her that she was not living within a world of imagination, but rather experiencing an oddly satisfying reality. However, after thinking thoughts of such a manner, Hinata would twist her logic in quite the opposite direction when she remembered Naruto's gift for Sakura at the market fair. Hinata shook her head briskly. _Naruto bought a gift for Sakura san…he didn't…consider me_, she was forced to conclude to herself. Hinata looked up to see that Sakura had resumed her research, but it was something behind her that caught Hinata's eye. A book with a deer on the front cover had fallen from the shelf, causing her mind to race swiftly to the thought of Sakura's notes to Ino in the book about the Nara clan she had discovered the day before. _But Sakura, she…she still loves…_

"Sasuke…" said Hinata softly, thinking aloud.

Sakura jerked her head up to stare at Hinata so quickly that she caused Hinata to gasp in surprise.

"What did you just say then, Hinata?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling slightly with restrained emotion, her face reddening.

"Oh! I-I…," Hinata gulped before continuing. "Sakura san…you and Naruto kun…you…" she trailed off into silence, unsure of the best way to continue.

Sakura sighed. "Hinata chan… Naruto and I are great friends and team members…but if you are thinking that there could be something else…there isn't." Sakura concluded, smiling sadly. "That is why I think that you should talk to him about your feelings…I know that is doesn't always work out in the way that you would like it to," Sakura broke off momentarily, laughing bitterly. "But really Hinata chan, you have nothing to lose in simply trying."

Hinata looked at Sakura as though she had just revealed a little-known secret: with awe and respect.

_She really is blessed with a brilliant sense of confidence_, thought Hinata.

That evening, when everyone had settled down into their sleeping bags throughout the library, some in the aisles, others under tables, the fresh snowfall outside the library windows was all that could be seen, illuminated by the light of the moon, shining through a patch of clear sky amongst the heavy clouds. The stars inhabiting the same clear patch of sky as the moon winked at Hinata as she gazed out of the window, and she smiled back at them in acknowledgement of their beauty. Without knowing it, she and Naruto had positioned themselves in parallel aisles, so when Hinata came to rest her hand on a part of the bookshelf beside her sleeping bag, she did not at all expect what was to happen next. Naruto had seen her hand, and smiling, decided to place his on top of her own, _let's just see what happens_, he had thought to himself. Hinata, immediately recognising the hand, let out a small gasp, as her heart went from a relatively slow pace, to one that resembled a fast sprint throughout the forest when in hot pursuit of the enemy. But after a few moments of trying to calm her nerves and breathing, Hinata noticed that Naruto had not removed his hand. _Well…I suppose I'd better leave mine here, too_…thought Hinata. She smiled to herself. _I suppose I couldn't disturb his sleep by removing my hand_…In the next aisle, Naruto was thinking in quite the same way.

And soon enough, the two fell asleep, grinning into their pillows; their faces slightly warmer, and slightly redder than those around them, who were sleeping with their hands to themselves.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed chapter 13! Chapter 14 will be the last. This story has gotten so long! **

**Please REVIEW. I like your comments and constructive ideas. But please, no flaming characters. ******

**Thank you once again for reading. **


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